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THE  "CALIFORNIA'S"    LEAVINc;    HOME 
July   15,  1902 


>i  "Califcrnian 
"Cirding  the  "Slohe 


BY 

HENRY    FUI^ER 


IlXitTSTRATBD  FRO&I  PHOrrOORAJE>BS 


Xazarbnb  Publishing  Company 

I^B    AMOaUiS,    OAXXrOKHXA.. 

1904 


%M 


COPYRIGHT,  lOO* 

Henry    Fullkr 


DEDICATED 

TO 

Mv  ONr.y  ( Twin )  Sistbr 
MRS    N.    B.   T^EAVER. 

PKRO,  CLINTON  COUNTY,  NHW  VORK 

iir  MBMOitY  or 

CHirJDHOOD     DAVS. 


...  CONTENTS  ... 

CHAPTER  I. 

A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND  MII,ES  LONG. 

An  idea  outgrowing'  the  bean  that  Jack  planted — 500 
miles  up  the  California  Coast — Looking  out  of  the  Golden 
Gate— Over  theSierra  Nevadas — Through  Utah — Meander- 
ing across  many  States — Memories  of  childhood — Sailing 
down  the  Hudson — New  York — Coney  Island — Across  the 
Atlantic — Ireland — In  "bonnie"  Scotland — Loch  Lomond 
— Loch  Katrine — The  Trossacks — Through  Rob  Roy's 
country — Where  poets  grow — Edinburgh — Love  blossom- 
ing in  Melrose  Abbey. 

CHAPTER  II. 

I,ONDON,    PARIS   AND  GERMANY. 

Car  window  observations  In  England — Manchester — 
Liverpool — London — Excitement  over  money  lost — Shah 
of  Persia — Spurgeon's  Tabernacle— City  Temple— Ken- 
sington Museum — Fireworks  at  Sydenham — British  Mu- 
seum— Big  Ben — Houses  of  Parliament— London  Tower — 
John  Wesley's  Grave — Across  the  English  Channel — "La 
Belle"  France — Dieppe^ — Normandy — Paris — Eiffel  Tower 
— Notre  Dame  Cathedral— Versailles — On  wrong  train — 
Brussels — Rotterdam — Dusseldorf — Great  German  Expo- 
sition— Glimpses  of  German  life — Cologne — Cologne  Cath- 
edral. 


T. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM   MOSCOW  TO   MII^AN. 

Berlin — Arranging  passports — In  Poland  Russia — Medi- 
tating in  Warsaw — Darwin's  theory  disproved — Russian 
Peasant  life— Moscow — Forced  to  abandon  a  Russian 
train  at  1  o'clock  at  night — Second  act  of  meditation  in 
Warsaw — At  the  German  frontier — Breslau — Over  the 
Continental  divide  of  Burope — Budapest — No  old  people 
in  heaven — Vienna — Sweeter  than  angel's  food — Salzburg- 
Mayence — Sailing  down  the  Rhine — Castles  and  romance 
— Another  glimpse  at  German  life— I^ucerne — Sunrise 
and  sunset  in  the  Alps — Climbing  St.  Gothard's  Pass — 
Through  the  Tunnel — Northern  Italy — Milan  and  its 
Cathedral. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

FROM   ROMS  TO  SMYRNA. 

Genoa — Rome  "the  Eternal  City" — The  largest  church 
in  the  world,  St.  Peters — Mamertine  prison — Ossian  Way — 
Temple  of  Hercules— St.  Paul's  Cathedral— Three  Foun- 
tains— In  the  Catacombs — Appian  Way — Arch  of  Titus — 
Coliseum — Roman  Forum — Palatine  Hill — Naples — Pom- 
peii— Climbing  Mount  Vesuvius — Standing  on  the  rim 
of  it's  Crater — Southern  Italy — Brindisi — Sailing  on 
the  Adriatic — A  Supernatural  vision — In  Greece — Old 
Corinth — A  stairway  higher  than  the  stars — Athens — The 
Acropolis — Mars  Hill — Pirasus — On  the  -^Egean  Sea — 
Chios — Smyrna. 

CHAPTER  V. 

EPH^SUS,    DAMASCUS   AND  PAI^ESTINE. 

Ephesus — Isle  of  Patmos — Island  of  Cyprus — Island  of 
Rhodes — Meresina  the  Seaport  of  Tarsus — Tripoli — Beir- 
rout — Caifa — Joppa — Scared  by  giants  away  from  "the 
Promised  lyand — Under  quarantine  in  Beirout  harbor — 


Across  the  Lebanon  Mountains  where  the  cedars  grew — 
Plains  of  Beeka — Wonders  of  Baalbec— Over  the  Anti- 
Lebanon  mountains — Damascus  "the  oldest  city  in  the 
world" — River  Abana — Straight  street — Houses  of  Ana- 
nias and  Naaman — Camping  to  Jerusalem — Near  Mount 
Hermon — Caesarea  Philippi — Sources  of  the  Jordan — Vil- 
lage of  Dan — Sea  of  Merom — Juaneh — Safed — Fishing  in 
the  Sea  of  Galilee — Plain  of  Gennesaret. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

TRAVELING    IN     PALESTINE. 

Safed — Rocks  and  curses  hurled  at  us  in  an  Arab  village 
— Plain  of  El  Buttauf — Armed  Turkish  soldiers  placing  us 
underquarantine — Release — Nazareth  Women  quarreling  at 
night  for  water — Plain  of  Esdraelon — River  Kishon — Mount 
Carmel — Jenin — Nablous — Jacob's  Well — Climbing  Mount 
Gerizim — A  Samaritan  Synagogue — Shiloh — Bethel — Part- 
ing place  of  Abraham  and  Lot — Mount  Scopus — Jerusalem — 
Mosque  of  Omar — Church  of  Holy  Sepulchre — New  Calvary — 
Garden  of  Gethsemane — Mount  Olivet — Bethany — Jericho — 
Mount  of  Temptation — Elisha's  Spring-  Dead  Sea — River 
Jordan — Rachel's  Tomb — Bethlehem — Church  of  Nativity — 
Solomon's  Pools — Tombs  of  the  Judges — Mizpeh — Gibeon. 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES  UP  THE  NILE. 

Leaving  Jerusalem — On  a  Turkish  railway — Joppa — 
Watching  for  a  steamer — Oldest  seaport  in  the  world — Em- 
barking— Jonah  and  the  whale — Port  Said — Alexadria — In 
quarantine  three  days — Release — Delta  of  the  Nile — Cairo — 
Heliopolis — Land  of  Goshen — Racing  on  a  bridge — Jacob's 
Well — Bedrechein — Memphis — Annual  overflow  of  the  Nile 
—Oldest  pyramid  in  the  world— 30,000,000  Egyptians  buried 
in  one  cemetery — A  desert  ride— Serapheum — Where  Sacred 
bulls  were  buried — the  Sphinx — Cheops — On  top  of  the 
largest  pyramid   in   the   world — Bv   rail  to   upper  Egypt — 


LfUxor— Temple  of  Karnak — Tombs  of  Pharoahs — Temple 
of  Medinet — Haboo — Colossi  of  Memnon — Temple  of  Luxor 
— Ancient  Thebes — Assouan — In  Nubia — Temple  of  Philae 
— On  the  lyibyan  desert — Illumination  of  Assouan. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

EGYPT  AND  INDIA. 

Opening  of  the  largest  dam  in  the  world,  at  Assouan — 
Obelisk  quarry — Assouan  to  Carlo — Cairo  Museum — Mum- 
mied Pharoahs  of  Moses'  time — Ishmalia — Port  Said — 
Booking  on  the  steamship  Arabia  to  India — Sailing  through 
Suez  Canal — Suez — Crossing-place  of  the  Israelites  in  the 
Red  Sea — Mt.  Sinai — Aden — Arabian  Sea — Southern  Cross 
— Bombay — Towers  of  Silence  on  Malabar  Hill — Glimpses 
of  India  from  a  railway  train — Tundla  Junction — Delhi 
Durbar — Great  elephant  parade — Amritsar — Weaving  rugs 
— Golden  temple  of  the  Sikhs — Burning  Hindoo  body — New 
Years  in  Delhi — Art  Exhibition — Fireworks — Delhi  public 
library — Chandni  Chonk — An  Eurasians  clever  dodge — 
Lucknow — North  India  Methodist  Episcopal  Conference. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

INDIA  CHINA   AND  JAPAN. 

Agra — Taj  Mahal — Agra  Fort — Ahmednager  —  Bubonic 
plague — Meditation — Dharangaon — Across  India  —  Howrah 
— Calcutta — An  idea — Crossing  the  Ganges — Siliguri  Junc- 
tion— A  toy  train — Climbing  the  Himalayas — Gnoom — 
Darjeeling— Hiring  a  dandy — Trip  to  Tiger  Hill— The  Tall- 
est mountains  in  the  world — Looking  towards  Thibet — Re- 
turn to  Calcutta — Booking  to  Hong  Kong — On  the  Hugli — 
Bay  of  Bengal — Andaman  Islands  —  Penang  —  Malacca 
Straits — Singapore — China  Sea — Hong  Kong — Shanghai — 
Nagasaki — Inland  Sea — Kobe — Osaka — Yokohama — Tokio — 
Chickens  with  tails  twelve  feet  long — Shogun  Temples — 
Empress  of  India — Pacific  Ocean — Victoria — Vancouver — 
Sumas — Uncle  Sam's  custom  house — Home. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE   NO 

Frontispiece — The  "Californians"  L/eaving  Home. 
Bullhead  Fountain  of  Marble,  at  Ephesus       ...       10 
River  Abana,  Damascus 16 

July  15th,  1902 

Street  Scene  in  Damascus 22 

Donkey  Loaded  With  Weeds  for  Fuel  near  Damascus     26 

Street  Scene  in  Ivondon 32 

Old  Site  of  Memphis  (during  Nile  overflow )  .  .  36 
Wesley's  Grave,  City  Roads  Chapel,  London  .  .  40 
Oldest  Pyramid  in  Egypt,  near  Memphis  ...  46 
The  Nile  at  Assouan  December  10th,  1902      .         .         .56 

Carriage  in  Moscow 68 

One  Source  of  River  Jordan  at  Caesarea  Philippi.         .     78 

On  the  Rhine,  Germany 88 

Fallen  Statue  of  Rameses  II,  Memphis  .         .         .94 

Rebuilding  Ruins,  Karnak,  Egypt      ....       102 

Arch  of  Titus,   Rome 108 

Street  in  Pompeii.     Chariot  Ruts  from  Four  to  Five 

inches  in  Depth 114 

Parthenon,  Athens 130 

Camel  Caravan  Loaded  with  Cotton    ....       138 

Isle  of  Patmos 142 

Temple  of  Jupiter,  Baalbec 154 

Camping  from  Damascus 160 

Interior  of  Jewish  Home  (inner  court)  Damascus  .  164 
Treading  Corn  with  Oxen,  Jordan  Valley,  Palestine  .  168 


PAGE  NO. 

Plain  of  Gennesaret,  Sea  of  Galilee    ....        176 
Fountain  of  the  Virg-in  in  Nazareth         ....  184 
Donkey  and  Ox  Plowing,  just  outside  walls  of  Jeru- 
salem   200 

Oif  for  Gibeon  from  Jerusalem 210 

Natives  Going  to  Market,  Memphis     ....       230 

Sphinx  and  Cheops 236 

Crossing  the  Nile  at  Ancient  Thebes         .        .        .       242 

Temple  Ruins  at  Ancient  Thebes 246 

Temple  of  Philae,  Nubia 250 

Assouan  Dam  (largest  in  the  world)  ....  254 
Duke   and   Duchess  of  Connaught   and   Khedive  of 

Bgypt 256 

Vultures  Awaiting  Parsee   Funeral,    Malabar  Hill, 

Bombay       .........        272 

State  Entry  of  Durbar,  Delhi,  December  29th,  1902      .  278 

Taj  Mahal,  Agra,  India 294 

Native  Carts  Loaded  with  Cotton,  Dharangaon,  India.  300 
Darjeeling,  in  the  lofty  Himalayas  ....  304 
Natives  Stripping  for   Plague  Inspection,  Calcutta.     312 

Ox-cart,  Yokahama 316 

Taking  a  Jinrickisha  Ride,  Penang        ....  322 


z. 


P^REFACE 


This  story  of  Circling  the  Globe  was  written  (on  the 
way)  in  railway  trains,  at  hotels  and  bungalows,  on  steam- 
ships, in  out-of-the-way  places,  and  under  many  varying 
circumstances,  in  a  series  of  letters  (101)  and  published 
in  the  "Redland's  (Cal.)  Daily  Review."  Almost  in  the 
shadow  of  the  Adirondacks,  in  my  native  State,  in  the 
fall  of  1903,  at  the  home  of  my  nephew,  S.  S.  Allen,  Esq., 
as  the  Autumn  leaves  were  putting  on  their  bright  colors, 
then  twirling  downward  through  the  air,  into  the  lap  of 
mother  earth,  never  to  rise  again,  as  each  mountain  top 
was  gathering  its  mantle  of  white  from  the  passing  clouds, 
as  many  birds  were  flying  to  a  warmer  clime,  and  as  the 
gray  and  almost  colorless  sky  began  to  assume  a  wintry 
appearance,  I  compiled  from  those  letters  this  volume. 
I  could  change  their  phraseology  but  little,  except  to 
eliminate  some  personal  allusions.  If  there  is  any  charm 
in  this  book  to  any  reader,  it  may  be  in  my  description  of 
the  little  things  that  many  travelers  do  not  notice. 
Nearly  all  the  illustrations  are  from  a  camera  that  my 
son,  Elmer,  used,  and  at  the  time  the  idea  of  placing 
them  and  the  letters  jin  a  book  was  farther  away  than 
any  chimerical  dream. 

HENRY  FUIvL,ER. 


I. 
>i  Me  iiix  i^kousand  Miles  %eng. 

Many,  many  moons  ago  I  began  to  think  and  talk  of  taking 
a  trip  to  Palestine.  The  idea  grew  like  a  cabbage  plant  in 
rainy  weather,  and  instead  of  going  to  Palestine  and  return 
has  culminated  in  a  trip  to  encircle  the  globe.  I  take  with 
me  my  son,  Leslie  Elmer.  I  think  he  is  about  19  years  old 
— I  cannot  recollect  the  year,  month  or  day  in  which  he  was 
bom.  Mrs.  Fuller  always  knows,  and  were  I  at  home  could 
ask  her. 

For  many  years  I  have  called  the  young  man  by  the  rather 
opprobrious  epithet  of  "Crow,"  but  in  these  writings  we  will 
just  call  him  "Elmer." 

After  oiling  the  roadway  leading  up  to  our  home,  in  order 
that  the  stay-at-homes  would  not  be  smothered  with  dust, 
and  packing  our  three  leather  suit  cases  we  bade  farewell  to 
everybody  about  us,  getting  on  our  train  at  Redlands  Junc- 
tion at  7:44  a.  m.  of  July  15,  1902,  thus  commencing  the  long- 
est and  more  than  likely  the  most  eventful  journey  of  our 
lives. 

As  California  is  noted  for  large  things,  we  noticed  the  3,000 
acres  of  vineyard  under  one  ownership  at  Cucamonga. 

It  looked  queer  as  we  passed  Summerland,  near  Santa  Bar- 
bara, to  see  so  many  oil  .wells  located  in  the  edge  of  the 
ocean,  some  of  them  quite  far  from  shore  and  most  of  them 
producing  oil.  It  was  sunset,  and  the  bright  gleams  of  twi- 
light cast  a  beautiful  halo  upon  land  and  sea.  Next  morning 
as  we  arose  from  our  sleeping  car  berths  we  were  at  Kings 


2  A  CALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

City,  a  few  miles  south  of  Salinas.  The  usual  California 
scene  of  harvesting  and  threshing  grain  was  about  us.  Taking 
the  coast  route  to  San  Francisco,  we  get  seats  on  the  side 
overlooking  the  ocean.  We  pass  along  the  head  of  Monterey 
bay,  and  from  here  to  San  Francisco  through  the  beautiful 
Santa  Clara  valley,  with  the  thriving  city  of  San  Jose  in  its 
center,  a  ride  long  to  be  remembered.  Live  oak  trees, 
hundreds  of  acres  of  prune  and  cherry  trees,  green  trees  on 
the  hillsides,  prosperous  looking  farm  and  fruit  homes — can 
there  be  anything  prettier  anywhere?  Yet  we  saw  no  evi- 
dence of  population  and  wealth  coming  in,  as  rapidly  as  we 
see  it  in  our  sunny  Southland  city  of  Redlands.  Why  is  it? 
It  is  difficult  to  answer.  It  may  be  that  there  is  a  charm  in 
orange  growing  or  a  something  that  appeals  to  the  sense  like 
the  aroma  and  fragrance  of  a  beautiful  bouquet  of  roses 
which  our  Southland  seems  to  possess  over  these  northern 
valleys. 

Our  trip  north  over  the  coast  line  was  a  delightful  one. 
No  dust,  and  with  oil-burning  engines,  no  cinders.  The  old 
lines  through  the  San  Joaquin  valley  takes  the  emigrant  travel, 
therefore  our  train  was  filled  with  well-dressed  people,  most- 
ly Californians.  The  scenic  attractions,  because  of  their 
variety,  are  unsurpassed.  As  we  walked  about  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  looked  out  upon  the  Golden  Gate,  we  could  hardly 
realize  that  in  a  few  months,  we  expected  to  arrive  again  up- 
on a  steamship  from  the  west.  While  bidding  good-bye  to 
Elmer's  aunt  in  Los  Angeles,  she  asked  him,  "What  do  you 
think  of  your  trip?"  His  answer  was,  "It  all  seems  like  a 
dream  to  me."     We  are  the  dreamers. 

In  watching  the  crowds  on  the  large  ferry  steamer  to  Oak- 
land, getting  on  our  Pullman,  and  in  looking  around  there  is 
always  something  to  amuse  one.  We  are  all  creatures  of 
circumstances,  and  act  alike  in  many  ways. 

At  sunrise  we  were  in  Truckee.  Such  cool  invigorating 
mountain  air.  As  we  saw  the  Lake  Tahoe  stage  drive  awa>, 
we  almost  wished  we  were  aboard,  as  we  know  that  camping 
on  the  shores  of  Lake  Tahoe  is  one  of  the  most  charming 


A   TALE   SIX   THOUSAND    MILES    LONG.  3 

experiences.  In  passing  down  the  eastern  slope  of  these 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  we  saw  in  little  meadows  along- 
side of  the  Truckee  river,  men  cutting  timothy  hay,  some- 
thing we  do  not  have  in  the  orange-growing  districts  of  Cal- 
ifornia. We  were  soon  at  Reno,  the  largest  town  in  Nevada. 
For  about  fifty  miles  east  of  Reno  we  saw  large  gangs  of 
men  and  horses  grading  what  is  called  "Wadsworth  cut-off," 
where  this  railroad  is  building  forty-seven  miles  of  entirely 
new  road,  not  gaining  anything  in  distance,  but  reducing  the 
grade  and  making  better  curves.  Farther  east,  at  the  Pal- 
isades, Carlin  and  Elko,  they  are  also  cutting  off  curves,  tun- 
neling through  mountains — all  to  save  distance  and  lessen 
grade.  They  also  propose  a  cut-off  over  the  great  Salt  Lake, 
built  for  many  miles  on  piles,  where  the  water  is  in  some 
places  thirty  feet  deep,  costing  millions  of  dollars.  Why  all 
this  expense?  The  Oriental  traffic,  only  now  in  its  infancy, 
will  become  so  large  in  a  few  years  that  it  will  need  several 
transcontinental  routes  to  carry  its  traffic  and  travel. 

It  seemed  strange  that  here  in  mid-summer  on  the  northern 
side  of  many  of  the  larger  mountains,  in  both  Nevada  and 
Utah,  we  saw  patches  of  snow  sparkling  in  the  bright  sun- 
light. 

In  the  early  morning  of  July  i8  we  saw  the  great  Salt  Lake. 
Weather  cool  and  delightful.  As  we  passed  up  W«bber  can- 
yon on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  we  admired  the  clear  spark- 
ling river,  green  fields  and  meadows,  while  the  beautiful  Was- 
hatch  mountains  viere  not  far  away,  with  huge  drifts  of  snow 
on  them  in  places,  bordered  with  slopes  of  green  and  green 
trees,  the  whole  forming  a  panorama  of  exceeding  beauty. 
Here  in  Utah  one  sees  stores  with  four  letters  on  them,  Z. 
C.  M.  I.  You  all  know  what  they  mean — Zion's  Co-opera- 
tive Mercantile  Institution.  Just  before  we  passed  out  of 
Utah  we  saw  far  to  the  southeast  the  tops  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains. Over  them  were  drifting  some  fleecy  white  clouds,  as 
white  as  the  drifts  of  snow  on  their  summits.  The  first 
clouds  of  any  sort  we  had  seen  since  leaving  Santa  Barbara 
in  California. 


4  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

We  pass  Evanston,  Wyoming,  a  bright  looking  place,  not 
mountainous,  and  good  roads  in  all  directions.  Plenty  of 
grass,  a  magnificent  grazing  country  surrounding  it.  In  many 
places  where  the  land  slopes  upward  from  the  track  there  are 
one,  two  and  often  three  lines  of  fences  made  of  posts  and 
boards  to  catch  the  whirling,  drifting  snow  of  winter  time. 

In  the  early  morning  of  July  19  we  were  in  the  western 
part  of  Nebraska.  While  conversing  with  a  lady  who  came 
on  the  train  this  morning  she  said :  "We  have  had  two  weeks 
with  no  sunshine;  clouay  weather  all  the  time,  with  consid- 
erable rain — something  unusual  for  us."  I  said:  "Have 
you  ever  lived  in  California?"  She  answered:  "I  have  never 
been  there."  My  reply  was,  "I  thought  you  had."  I  was 
astonished.  I  have  lived  in  California  twenty-seven  years, 
and  after  hearing  everybody,  myself  included,  trying  to  ex- 
plain to  visiting  Eastern  tourists  about  the  wind,  weather  and 
many  other  things,  can  you  wonder  at  my  astonishment?  All 
these  years  I  had  believed  that  the  term  "unusual"  was  wholly 
a  Californian  word  and  way  of  explanation. 

How  true  it  is  as  some  one  has  said,  "Man  made  the  towns, 
but  God  made  the  country."  How  I  love  such  bits  of  rural 
scenery  and  glimpses  of  home  life  as  one  can  see  from  a 
swiftly  moving  train.  Were  I  an  artist  and  had  the  time  and 
space,  I  would  love  to  pen-picture  some  of  them  to  you,  so 
that  you,  too,  might  catch  something  of  an  inspiration  from 
their  bright  radiance  and  glow,  in  order  that  we  might  all  be 
lifted  up  from  our  everj'day  toil  and  thought. 

The  next  morning,  July  20,  we  were  nearing  Chicago.  Ev- 
erybody was  picking  up  their  things.  We  stayed  over  Sun- 
day with  friends  and  relatives.  Late  in  the  evening  we  took 
the  Pennsylvania  route  for  Columbus.  The  charms  of  Ohio 
have  been  sung  in  rhyme  and  written  in  prose  so  often  that 
it  is  useless  for  me  to  add  or  expatiate  upon  them,  only  to  say 
that  the  waving  grain  fields,  the  luxuriant  corn  just  tasseling 
out,  the  haying  already  done,  with  the  red  clover  springing 
up  again,  the  patches  of  green  forest,  lawn  and  pasture — all 
combined   will  move  the  heart  of  an   Ohioan   as  he   returns 


A   TALE   SIX   THOUSAND    MILES    LONG.  5 

to  his  native  home  as  nothing  else  will  do.  As  he  catches 
sight  of  the  old  farm  house,  with  its  moss-covered  roof,  with 
the  beautiful  fruit  and  shade  trees  standing  about  as  of  old, 
the  eates  of  his  memory  will  unfold;  his  heart  will  be  en- 
circled with  such  veins  of  pathos  and  tenderness  that  out 
of  the  very  depths  of  his  soul  will  spring  tears  of  joy  and 
gladness.  We  were  much  interested  in  examining  the  United 
States  weather  man's  way  of  measuring  rain  up  on  the  top 
of  a  twelve-story  building.  He  showed  us  how  the  rain  was 
measured,  every  one-hundredth  of  an  inch  making  a  record 
on  paper  by  electricity,  how  the  aneometer  worked  and  how 
cloudy  weather  was  recorded  separate  from  sunshine. 

Before  leaving  Columbus,  Ohio,  we  procured  at  a  steam- 
ship agency's  office  two  blank  applications  for  our  passports. 
We  filled  out  the  blanks ;  describing  the  color  of  our  eyes, 
place  of  birth,  our  age,  height  and  weight.  Then  going  before 
a  notary  public  we  made  affidavit  having  a  person  to  identify 
us.  Then  the  applications  were  forwarded  to  Washington  for 
the  Secretary  of  State  to  sign,  with  a  request  to  forward  them 
to  New  York,  to  be  in  readiness  on  the  date  of  our  sailing. 

In  the  morning  of  July  23,  we  left  Columbus  for  Albany, 
N.  Y.  The  ride  to  Cleveland  was  a  delightful  one,  the  coun- 
try everywhere  nearly  as  pretty  as  a  park.  Lake  Erie  looked 
cool  and  inviting  .  We  wanted  to  take  a  sail.  As  we  passed 
along  through  the  grape-growing  districts  bordering  on  this 
lake  we  were  interested  in  their  manner  of  training  them 
on  a  trellis.  Everywhere  in  the  East  the  fields  of  grain,  hay 
and  fruit  are  so  small  in  their  area  that  to  a  Californian  they 
seem  very  strange.  He  wonders  how  the  Eistern  farmer  can 
make  any  money  from  (as  it  seems  to  him)  such  little  patches 
of  land.  He  forgets  that  in  California  nearly  everyone  have 
their  eggs,  so  to  speak,  "all  in  one  basket,"  and  they  fre- 
quently spoil  or  spill  before  they  can  marVcet  them.  Yet  tbe 
average  Californian  is  brave  and  full  of  resources  (if  some- 
times boastful).  His  California  "way"  is  a  sort  of  spontan- 
eous growth,  because  of  his  contact  with  great  mountains, 
inspiring  scenery  and  broad,  fertile  valleys.     Can  you  wonder 


6  A  CALIFOFtNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

that  he  becomes  imbued  with  lofty  ideas  and  cannot  do  differ- 
ently if  he  would?  His  California  education  and  training 
make  him  a  peer  among  men  everywhere. 

In  the  early  dawn  we  reached  Albany,  alighting  in  one  of 
the  finest  depots  in  America.  We  purchased  our  tickets  to 
Valcour,  Clinton  county,  N.  Y.  Our  train  passed  through 
Saratoga,  the  once  famous  watering  place.  How  changed  i 
Such  crowds  of  people  I  saw  here  a  few  years  ago.  Now  it 
takes  a  horse  race  or  something  as  exciting  to  crowd  Sara- 
toga. We  saw  canal  boats  in  the  Champlain  canal  being 
towed  along  in  the  old  way  with  horses  and  mules.  We  soon 
reached  Whitehall,  situated  at  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain. 
Then  began  a  ride  of  wondrous  beauty.  Winding  in  and 
about  rocky  cliffs,  our  train  ambled  by  the  side  of  the  lake 
to  the  north.  Just  across  to  the  east  lay  picturesque  Vermont, 
the  "Green  Mountain  State."  At  the  right  now  and  then  we 
would  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  outlying  Adirondacks.  There 
were  many  Lake  George  tourists  on  the  train.  We  soon  pass- 
ed the  ruins  of  the  old  historic  fort  of  Ticonderoga.  The 
rippling  waters  on  the  lake,  the  gray,  showery  sky,  the  abund- 
ance of  wild  flowers  about  us,  green  trees,  bushes  and  grass 
with  meadows  of  timothy  and  clover,  sparkling  with  red  and 
white  clover  bloom.  Can  you  wonder  at  our  being  charmed? 
I  love  to  come  in  contact  with  nature,  so  that  I,  too,  may 
catch  something  of  its  (to  me)  ever  wondrous  beauty  and 
glow.  Home  again.  Just  here  in  this  part  of  Clinton  county 
I  was  born.  Impressions  of  childhood,  can  we  ever  forget 
them? 

The  few  days  we  spent  here  were  pleasant,  happy  ones.  It 
was  haying  time.  We  were  on  historic  ground.  Within 
eight  miles  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh  was  fought,  and  only 
a  little  way  out  on  the  lake  was  the  naval  battle,  both  of  them 
being  the  turning  point  in  the  war  of  1812. 

We  walked  about  picking  buttercups,  white  and  yellow 
daisies,  as  in  the  "days  of  yore."  We  gathered  wild  rasp- 
berries in  the  pastures,  and  about  the  fence  corners.  We 
heard  the  robins  in  the  maple  and  elm  trees  singing  as  we 


A  TALE   SIX  THOUSAND   MILES    LONG.  7 

used  to  say  "for  rain."  We  went  into  the  woods,  and  out 
of  their  depths  came  the  notes  of  the  different  wild  birds,  so 
clear  and  musical,  that  somewhere  out  of  the  inmost  depths 
of  my  soul  there  came  an  echoing  and  re-echoing  chord  of 
memory,  with  such  harmonious  tuning,  that  I  knew  I  had 
caught  the  same  sweet  notes  of  song  in  my  early  boyhood 
days. 

I  found  grand  old  elm  and  maple  trees  that  I  had  played 
under  over  50  years  ago.  How  my  heart  did  leap  for  joy  to 
see  these  familiar  trees  of  boyhood  memory  again.  Like  a 
moving  panorama,  there  came  also  other  trees  from  the 
sensitive  yet  perfect  plates  of  memory's  storehouse,  wherein 
I  knew  they  stood  here  and  there,  so  familiar  in  form  and 
shape.  Alas !  I  wept  because  I  saw  them  not.  Other  trees, 
doubtless  grand  and  beautiful,  had  taken  their  places.  I 
only  glanced  at  them.  My  heart  yearned  for  the  trees  of 
memory,  the  very  best  friends  of  my  boyhood  days.  Oh, 
how  I  missed  them. 

I  went  into  the  village  cemetery.  I  stood  at  my  father's 
grave.  Over  40  years  ago  his  burial  took  place.  As  I  turned 
away  there  came  into  my  heart  such  sweet  strains  of  ten- 
derness and  love  that  I  wondered  if  an  angel  was  tuning  rv 
for  heaven.  Often  when  a  boy,  instead  of  learning  to  skate 
and  swim,  as  other  boys  did,  I  would  get  on  some  grassy 
knoll  and  lay  on  my  back  for  hours  watching  the  clouds 
come  and  go,  or  if  too  cold  for  that,  would  perchance  watch 
the  crows  as  they  went  "cawing"  by,  or  the  squirrels  as  they 
gamboled  about  in  the  leafless  trees. 

I  walked  upon  a  hill.  Over  yonder  in  the  east  away  beyond 
the  lake  I  saw  the  Green  mountains  of  Vermont — Camel's 
Hump,  Mount  Mansfield  and  all  the  rest.  Turning  around 
to  the  west  and  southwest,  I  saw  the  Adirondacks,  with  the 
familiar  lines  of  Mount  Marcy  among  their  towering  peaks. 
How  glad  I  was  to  see  them.  We  went  fishing  on  Lake 
Champlain,  catching  some  perch,  as  we  expected  to.  As  wt 
folded  up  our  lines,  I  wondered  if  the  next  unfolding  of  them 
would  be  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 


8  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

We  went  to  church.  There  were  just  twelve  in  attendance, 
counting  the  preacher.  He  said  he  was  disappointed  because 
it  rained  and  no  more  came.  He  preached  one  of  the  best 
sermons  I  ever  heard  in  my  life.  I  shouted  out  some  real 
"Amens."  The  walls  of  that  little  old  country  stone  church 
were  so  unaccustomed  to  any  such  sound  that  the  crickets 
paused  in  their  singing  and  wondered  "What  next." 

Next  morning  we  were  again  in  Albany.  We  walked  up 
to  the  State  building.  We  went  in.  This  building,  now  com- 
pleted, cost  $25,000,000,  and  was  thirty  years  in  building.  Wc 
admired  the  wonderful  stone  architecture  everywhere,  the 
polished  marble  pillars,  paintings  of  great  worth  and  value. 
As  we  stood  in  the  Senate  chamber  I  said,  "We  will  see 
something  better  in  Europe."  Elmer  replied,  "I  do  not  know ; 
I  think  this  is  pretty  grand."  We  were  interested  in  the  battle 
flags — 232  of  them.     All  were  carried  by  New  York  troops. 

July  29,  at  8:50  a.  m.,  we  boarded  the  "New  York,"  one  of 
the  day  steamers  on  the  Hudson  river.  A  great  many  pas- 
sengers came  on  board.  They  seemed  to  come  from  every- 
where, and  in  every  way.  The  "summer  girl"  as  neat  and 
trim  in  appearance  as  ships  at  sea,  came  jauntily  aboard.  This 
magnificent  steamer  soon  started.  We  were  seated  on  the 
upper  deck  and  somewhere  from  the  passenger  saloon  below, 
there  came  enlivening  strains  of  orchestral  music.  Our 
steamer  only  stopped  at  the  larger  cities  on  the  river,  taking 
on  and  letting  off  numerous  passengers.  We  were  interested 
all  day  long  in  looking  at  the  passengers  about  us,  the  scenery 
on  each  shore,  and  in  passing  and  meeting  yachts  and  boats 
of  various  kinds.  We  will  not  enter  into  any  detailed  des- 
cription as  we  intend  to  sail  up  the  Rhine  in  a  few  days,  and 
then  may  make  some  comparisons.  We  were  much  interested 
in  the  height  and  width  of  span  of  the  railroad  bridge  at 
Poughkeepsie,  so  high  that  no  drawbridge  is  needed.  We 
entered  the  city,  as  you  all  know,  down  by  the  famous  River- 
side Drive,  where  everybody  recognizes  General  Grant's  tomb, 
and  just  a  little  distance  away  are  a  group  of  noble  buildings, 
the  Columbia  University.     Soon  our  steamer  reached  its  pier 


A  TALE   SIX  THOUSAND   MILES   LONG.  9 

at  the  foot  of  Twenty-second  street  We  were  carried  along 
as  it  were  by  the  crowding,  moving  throng  of  passengers  from 
pier  to  street.  Reaching  our  hotel  in  the  heart  of  the  metrop- 
olis of  America,  we  retired  for  the  night  early.  Very  soon 
Elmer  came  and  helloed  into  my  room,  wanting  to  know 
"what  time  it  was."  I  looked  at  my  watch  and  replied  "half 
past  eleven."  He  had  awakened  from  a  sound  sleep,  and 
hearing  the  rush  of  cars  and  hacks  on  the  street,  and  people 
walking  and  talking  almost  everywhere,  he  concluded  (with 
our  rooms  facing  on  a  court)  that  it  was  morning,  dressed 
and  made  his  toilet  before  a  suspicion  of  the  truth  dawned 
upon  him.  Except  on  stormy  nights  there  is  little  cessa- 
tion of  noise  on  the  New  York  streets. 

The  next  morning  we  took  the  elevated  railroad.  After 
riding  to  about  170th  street,  Elmer  asked,  "How  long  can  we 
keep  this  thing  up."  The  thousands  of  blocks  in  every  direc- 
tion, all  solidly  built  up,  except  little  yards  and  courts  for 
light  and  air,  the  miles  and  miles  of  avenues  and  streets  he 
had  seen  filled  with  the  rush  and  roar  of  city  traffic,  and  the 
length  of  time  and  distance,  we  had  already  ridden,  paying 
only  a  nickle  for  our  fare,  prompted  his  question.  I  replied, 
"If  one  knows  where  to  get  on  and  how  to  manage,  he  can 
ride  28  miles  in  this  city  for  one  fare," 

We  went  into  St.  Paul's  chapel  on  Broadway,  erected  in  1766. 
We  looked  at  the  pew  Washington  had  rented  there  at  one 
time.  Only  a  little  way  off  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street 
was  a  "skj'  scraper,"  thirty  stories  high.  The  building  had  a 
tower.  Even  that  was  rented  and  occupied  by  tenants.  We 
were  told  that  farther  up  in  the  city,  a  building  was  being 
erected  33  stories  high.     We  did  not  see  it. 

We  walked  over  the  Brooklyn  bridge.  We  saw  cars  go  bj 
marked  "To  Coney  Island."  It  was  with  difficulty  we  jumped 
on  one,  as  they  were  loaded  with  people.  Passing  across 
entirely  this  portion  of  Greater  New  York,  and  after  a  ride 
of  four  or  five  miles  in  comparatively  open  country,  we  reach- 
ed Coney  Island.  We  immediately  walked  to  the  seashore. 
There  was  scarcely  room  to  walk  between  the  people.     Ev- 


10  A  CALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

erybody  seemed  to  De  dressed  in  holiday  attire.  The  surf  broke 
much  closer  to  the  shore  and  with,  at  this  time,  smaller  waves 
than  you  are  accustomed  to  either  at  Long  Beach  or  Santa 
Monica.  Everywhere  we  went  we  could  have  counted  thous- 
ands of  people.  Ransack  your  memory;  count  up  every  fake 
scheme  you  ever  saw,  at  a  fair,  circus  or  anywhere  else; 
multiply  them  all  by  at  least  four  fold,  and  you  have  Coney 
Island.  Not  many  miles  away  we  saw  the  great  hotels  of 
Brighton  and  Manhattan  beaches.  With  another  look  at  the 
largest  eating  and  dancing  pavilions  we  ever  saw,  full  of  peo- 
ple (  a  glance  at  the  race  course,  where  thousands  of  men  and 
women  had  paid  75  cents  each  to  see  and  perhaps  wager  on  a 
few  horses  running,  we  entered  our  car  for  New  York. 

In  the  forenoon  of  Saturday,  August  2,  we  took  a  car  for 
pier  54,  North  River,  and  boarded  the  steamship  Astoria  for 
Glasgow,  Scotland. 

Having  been  shown  the  staterooms  on  the  steamer  our 
tickets  called  for,  and  taking  thereto  our  baggage,  we  sat 
down,  and  began  a  sort  of  retrospection.  Expectations  were 
high.  From  pier  to  pier  our  steamer,  bound  for  Glasgow, 
was  to  sail  a  distance  of  301 1  miles.  Very  quickly  a  mental 
calculation  placed  this  voyage  at  about  one-eighth  of  the 
entire  distance  around  the  world.  We  had  secured  our  pass- 
ports, coming  directly  from  Washington,  during  our  stay  in 
New  York.  On  them  was  affixed  the  great  red  seal  of  the 
Department  of  State,  and  the  personal  signature  of  the  Sec- 
retary, John  Hay.  In  the  description  my  age  was  given  three 
times  older  than  Elmer's ;  in  height  I  was  three  inches 
shorter.  It  made  me  feel  small  and  dwarfish.  The  passports 
are  good  for  two  years. 

We  were  tired  of  looking  at  gray  and  somber  skies,  with 
clouds  of  dripping  rain  every  now  and  then.  And  almost  ev- 
erybody we  saw  east  of  Wyoming  had  a  pale,  white  pinched 
look  to  their  faces.  We  missed  the  dry  invigorating  air  and 
golden  sunshine  of  California.  We  were  afraid  of  asthma, 
bronchitis  and  all  their  kindred  ills.  The  previous  evening 
we  had  attended  a  religious  meeting  in  the  open  air,  on  the 


BULL-HEAD    FOUNTAIN 

AT    EPHESUS. 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND   MILES   LONG.  11 

roof  of  a  building  on  Eighth  avenue  several  stories  high,  over 
Stephen  Merritt's  undertaking  establishment.  Mr.  Merritt  is 
the  undertaker  that  buried  General  Grant.  We  laughed 
heartily  as  we  rememebered  how  abruptly  the  meeting  ended, 
as  after  more  than  an  hour  of  service,  including  quite  a 
long  talk  by  Mr.  Merritt,  he  said:  "Now,  after  these  few 
preliminary  remarks,  we  will  commence  the  meeting,"  when 
the  clouds  broke  loose  again,  and  rain  began  to  patter,  and 
after  the  chairs  were  piled  up,  and  the  piano  put  under  shel- 
ter, everybody  scrambled  for  cover.  There  were  potted 
palms  (artificial)  on  the  roof  and  about  the  building,  looking 
so  real  that  we  thought  of  our  sunny  southland,  where  they 
grow  in  the  yards  and  by  the  roadside. 

We  saw  on  the  pier,  drays  loading  with  large  bales  of 
hides.     They  came  from  India. 

Our  musings  were  suddenly  interrupted  by  officers  of  the 
ship  going  fore  and  aft,  calling  out,  "Everybody  not  going  to 
sail  go  ashore."  We  then  witnessed  an  impressive  scene  of 
leave-taking  or  "parting  of  the  ways."  The  crust  of  every- 
day life  (our  greatest  taskmaster),  of  habit,  of  culture,  of 
polish,  of  money  getting,  of  fashion,  of  self,  and  of  pride  was 
broken,  and  there  came  to  the  surface  great  waves  of  the 
emotional,  inner  self  or  nature,  in  those  about  us.  We  saw 
loving  hand  grasps  and  embraces,  where  in  silence  heart 
speaks  to  heart.  Gestures  of  animation  and  earnestness  every- 
where. Strong  men  and  women  wept.  Loving  messages  were 
intrusted  to  loving  hearts  to  carry  and  deliver  beyond  the 
sea.  The  gangways  were  pulled  ashore.  The  ship's  hawsers 
were  lifted  from  the  pier.  A  flash  of  electric  signals  went 
from  the  pilot  room  down  to  the  engineer.  The  engines 
started.  The  propeller  blades  began  to  move.  Our  ship  was 
under  way.  On  the  end  of  the  pier  stood  many  people,  wav- 
ing handkerchiefs  and  hats,  while  on  the  ship  hundreds  re- 
sponded as  we  moved  away.  A  little  puffing  tug  pushed  the 
ship  about  as  it  turned  its  prow  down  North  river.  The 
inner  harbor  was  soon  traversed,  then  a  narrow  channel, 
marked  out  by  bouys  in  the  form  of  a  semi-circle,  then  passing 


12  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

Sandy  Hook,  and  ten  miles  east  the  pilot  left  and  we  sailed 
away.  Not  a  sea  gull,  nor  duck,  nor  any  bird  did  we  see, 
except  a  few  stormy  petrels,  until  we  were  over  2000  miles 
from  New  York.  And  not  much  marine  life  visible.  Some 
porpoises,  not  as  large  as  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The  captain 
and  most  of  the  crew  belong  to  the  Royal  Naval  Reserve  of 
England  and  go  training  once  each  year.  The  passengers 
soon  became  acquainted  with  each  other.  In  the  dining  saloon 
the  seat  you  occupy  the  first  meal  is  expected  to  be  retained 
and  occupied  by  you  at  all  subsequent  meals. 

One  bright  morning  we  went  on  deck  and  about  twenty 
miles  away  was  the  northwest  coast  of  Ireland.  The  moun- 
tains higher  than  I  expected  to  see;  not  a  tree  on  any  one  of 
them,  but  green  to  their  tops,  except  where  bare  rock  cov- 
ered their  surface  but  not  much  of  that.  From  a  distance 
there  was  a  great  resemblance  to  our  Southern  California 
coast  range,  except  our  mountains  present  a  more  serrated 
appearance.  Soon  on  their  slopes  farms  began  to  appear,  with 
whitewashed  stone  houses  and  country  roads.  Some  of  the 
mountains  near  the  coast  were  too  wind-swept  to  be  cul- 
tivated, apparently  covered  with  moss.  Many  of  the  others 
were  too  steep.  As  we  passed  along  east  on  this  northern 
coast  the  country  improved.  Many  of  our  Irish  passengers 
fairly  danced  with  joy  as  they  saw  the  "Emerald  Isle"  once 
more.  I  did  not  blame  them,  as  I  never  had  seen  any  scenery 
more  quaint  and  pretty.  Abrupt  rocks  stood  like  sentinels 
along  the  shore.  The  contour  of  the  bays  are  graceful  in 
their  curves.  The  mountains  became  lower,  the  valleys  larger 
with  villages  and  farms  everywhere.  On  projecting  heads  of 
rock  and  islands  were  great  stone  light  houses.  We  came  to 
anchor  at  Moorill  to  let  off  the  passengers  for  Londonderry. 
Will  I  ever  forget  the  scene?  Just  opposite  to  where  we 
were,  perhaps  500  yards  away,  were  the  ruins  of  an  old  castle, 
built  by  the  Normans  in  the  thirteenth  century.  Some  of  the 
bastions,  towers  and  walls,  were  standing. 

Said  Mr.  Clayton,  a  passenger  from  Washington,  D.  C. : 
"This  is  worth  the  cost  of  the  whole  trip — to  only  see  this  old 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND  MILES   LONG.  13 

castle."  I  thought  so,  too.  We  looked  south  toward  Lon- 
donberry.  We  saw  miles  and  miles  of  gently  sloping,  un- 
dulating country,  all  covered  with  little  farms.  On  this 
bright  August  day,  were  it  truthfully  painted  on  canvas  by  an 
artist,  the  whole  world  of  art  would  be  talking  about  it 

On  a  little  steamer  called  the  Samson  our  Irish  passengers 
sailed  away  to  Londonderry.  We  resumed  our  journey.  Near- 
ly all  the  morning  we  haa  seen,  probably  eighty  miles  away, 
the  tops  of  mountains  on  some  Scottish  islands.  Among 
them  were  two  notable  peaks,  the  "Paps  of  Jura."  It  takes  a 
remarkably  clear  day  to  see  them  from  the  northern  Irish 
coast.  As  we  sailed  across  the  channel  to  Glasgow,  the  first 
point  of  interest  is  Rathlin  island.  It  is  not  far  from  the 
Irish  coast.  This  island  rises  abruptly  out  of  the  sea,  about 
800  feet  high.  Its  precipitous  sides  and  comparatively  level 
top  are  as  green  as  a  park,  yet  not  a  tree  or  bush  in  sight. 
We  could  see  a  lighthouse,  two  dwellings  and  some  cattle 
feeding.  Soon  we  came  close  to  the  "Mull  of  Cantire,"  a 
peninsula  jutting  out  from  Scotland,  with  only  now  and  then 
a  house  in  sight.  As  we  approached  the  entrance  to  the  Clyde, 
we  saw  to  the  south  a  large  dome-shaped  circular  rock  sev- 
eral hundred  feet  high,  pointed  at  its  top  and  S3rmmetrical  in 
shape.  I  did  not  tire  of  looking  at  it,  so  bold  and  grand  in 
appearance.  Its  sides,  too  precipitous  to  climb,  are  the  home 
and  breeding  place  of  thousands  of  sea  gulls.  Its  name  is 
Ailsa  Craig.  The  next  point  of  interest  was  the  Isle  of  Arran. 
These  Scotch  farms,  dotted  with  stone  houses  and  little 
fields,  divided  with  thorn  hedges,  made  us  exclaim,  "How 
beautiful !" 

The  beautiful  Clyde  is  in  some  respects  like  the  lower  Hud- 
son river,  yet  possessing  a  beauty  and  charm  that  is  peculiar 
to  Scotland,  and  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  There  arc 
very  few  costly  and  palatial  residences  overlooking  the  Clyde, 
not  over  a  half  dozen,  and  they  are  owned  by  Lord  or  Mar- 
quis somebody,  who  apparently  owns  all  the  adjacent  country. 
So  far  all  the  trees  we  have  seen  are  planted.  Do  not  think 
this  part  of  the  Clyde  is  narrow,  for  it  is  very  wide  in  many 


14  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

places.  Off  to  the  right  is  the  city  of  Ardrassan,  where  pas- 
sengers are  carried  by  rail  from  Glasgow  to  take  the  steamer 
for  Belfast,  Ireland. 

We  soon  came  to  long  rows  of  stone  houses  on  the  north 
shore,  all  looking  alike  as  peas  in  a  pod,  and  I  asked  what  they 
were  "for.  A  Scotchman  replied,  "They  are  the  summer 
homes  of  Glasgow  people."  I  saw  a  small  pier  and  a  steamer 
landing  and  boats  out  fishing,  but  how  different  from  our 
Southern  California  summer  homes  by  the  sea.  All  these 
stone  houses  were  as  gray  as  gray  could  be,  while  the  farmer 
uses  whitewash  on  his  stone  house. 

We  soon  reached  Grennock,  where  as  the  Scotch  people 
quaintly  say,  is  the  "tail  of  the  hills,"  meaning  that  from 
here  several  miles  to  Glasgow',  the  Clyde  narrows  until  for 
a  long  distance  there  is  barely  room  for  two  steamers  to  pass. 
At  daybreak  our  ship  started  from  Grennock  for  Glasgow. 
I  immediately  arose,  dressed  and  went  on  deck.  We  were  in 
one  of  the  greatest  shipbuilding  centers  of  the  world.  We 
saw  all  sorts  of  ships,  in  all  stages  of  construction.  Over 
yonder  the  keel  of  a  great  battleship  was  just  being  laid, 
while  by  its  side  the  proud  clipper  ship  of  modern  style  ana 
speed  was  almost  ready  for  launching.  We  saw,  as  it  seem- 
ed to  me,  armies  of  men  going  to  work.  We  passed  by  the 
Singer  Sewing  Machine  Co.'s  plant,  where  -there  are  eleven 
thousand  men  employed.  This  point  is  the  central  head- 
quarters of  their  business,  with  branch  offices  in  every  other 
city  around  the  globe.  Their  buildings  and  surroundings  were 
like  a  city  complete  in  itself. 

Glasgow  has  doubled  its  population  in  about  twenty  years, 
now  numbering  nearly  a  million  of  people.  Our  steamer 
came  to  its  pier.  We  went  on  shore.  Everybody  had  to 
open  their  trunks  and  valises  for  inspection,  as  spirits,  per- 
fumes and  tobaccos  are  subject  to  a  tax.  We  told  the  custom 
house  officer  that  we  were  just  "tramping  around  the  world," 
so  he  put  a  chalk  mark  on  our  luggage,  and  we  were  free. 
The  ocean  voyage  was  ended ;  tranquil  seas,  enshrouded  in 
soft,  sweet   summer  skies    had   been  our  lot.     We  had  met 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND   MILES   LONG.  15 

two  large  passenger  stearhers  just  outside  of  Sandy  Hook, 
seen  one  or  two  freight  steamers  at  a  distance,  and  met  two 
or  three  more  off  the  coast  of  Ireland.  We  had  encountered 
no  ice,  yet  near  Newfoundland  one  night  the  barometer  drop- 
ped three  points  and  the  ship  slackened  her  speed.  We  were 
near  an  ice  field.  The  most  impressive  incident  to  me  of  the 
entire  ocean  trip  occurred,  while  about  300  miles  off  the 
Irish  coast,  v.hen  some  of  us  saw,  not  over  500  yards  to  the 
right,  something  sticking  up  about  ten  feet  out  of  the  water, 
looking  like  the  top  of  the  mast  of  a  ship.  Some  sailors 
standing  by  me  said  it  was,  although  they  had  not  seen  it 
before.  Perchance  some  day  some  ship  sailed  for  the  last 
time,  and  is  now  a  derelict  in  the  seas. 

We  noticed  that  nearly  all  the  drays  or  trucks  had  only 
two  wheels,  and  were  drawn  by  only  one  horse.  Such  large 
horses,  with  large  feet  having  long  hair  above  the  fetlocks, 
I  never  saw  before.  Over  the  collar  of  each  horse  was  a  wide 
strip  of  leather  running  to  a  point  several  inches  above  the 
horse,  then  two  iron  prongs  reaching  upwards,  one  on  either 
side,  looking  like  horns. 

As  we  came  into  the  city  we  noticed  that  all  the  street  cars 
were  two-storied  and  well  filled  with  people,  especially  on 
top.  Double  tracks  in  the  streets,  yet  each  car  in  passing 
seemed  to  us  to  be  on  the  wrong  track,  running  just  the 
reverse  of  the  way  in  our  American  cities. 

Everybody  looked  at  us,  even  the  small  boy.  They  knew 
we  were  strangers.  Nearly  every  building  was  four  stories 
high,  built  of  stone,  and  the  surprising  part  of  it  was  that  we 
saw  no  chimneys  as  in  America.  There  were  stone  projections 
oblong  in  shape  on  the  roofs,  and  out  of  them  single  lengths 
of  vitrified  pipe,  sometimes  a  dozen  or  more  in  one  clump, 
evidently  each  room  having  a  separate  flue  to  the  roof.  The 
buildings  being  all  of  nearly  one  height,  and  so  many  bright 
colored  flues  in  sight,  in  contrast  to  the  gray  stone  and  gray 
slate  with  which  all  buildings  are  covered,  presented  a  pecul- 
iar appearance. 

We  went  into  a  restaurant.    A  person  at  our  table  ordered 


16  A  CALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

some  scones.  Wondering  what  they  were,  we  ordered  some 
also.  There  came  to  us  about  eight  pieces  of  bread  as  large 
or  larger  than  a  biscuit,  of  different  shapes,  some  of  them  like 
biscuit  in  taste,  others  like  rolls,  and  among  them  two  pan- 
cakes, all  cold.  The  butter  on  a  plate  was  little  round  in- 
dented balls,  each  a  little  larger  in  size  than  a  cherry.  There 
was  also  a  plate  of  cakes,  of  different  colors  and  kinds,  about 
the  size  of  cup  cakes.  We  ordered  milk.  Each  glass  of  milk, 
scone  or  cake  we  used  cost  one  penny  each.  Everytime  we 
changed  some  of  our  good  American  money  into  gold,  silver 
or  copper  coins  of  the  British  realm,  there  came  a  feeling  over 
us  that  we  were  getting  inferior  money.  To  us  at  first  the 
changed  money  seemed  to  have  an  uncanny  look.  In  the 
hotels  v.e  found  good  accommodations,  cheaper  than  the  same 
class  in  Los  Angeles.  Some  of  the  furniture  looked  old 
The  bedsteads  were  iron  and  brass,  the  iron  was  paint- 
ed black  instead  of  white,  as  in  America.  The  rooms  average 
larger  in  size  and  many  of  them  have  two  double  beds.  The 
Scotch  people  say  "fust"  for  first,  "wee"  for  little,  "bonnie" 
for  good,  and  sometimes  "hame"  for  home.  With  their  Scotch 
accent  we  sometimes  had  to  ask  what  they  said.  Our  Cali- 
fornia ways  and  words  were  equally  puzzling  to  them. 

We  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  John  White,  keeper  of 
a  restaurant  for  fifty  years.  We  entered  his  business  place. 
I  asked  a  young  lady  if  Mr.  John  White  was  in.  She  replied, 
"Do  you  want  some  jam  and  bread."  We  took  long  rides  in 
the  street  cars  on  the  top  story;  fare,  one  and  one-half  pence, 
and  found  much  of  interest  at  every  turn.  We  visited  the 
old  Glasgow  cathedral,  built  by  the  Roman  Catholics  several 
hundred  years  ago,  after  the  Reformation  under  John  Knox 
it  became  Presbyterian.  We  saw  one  pair  of  old  doors  leading 
to  the  vestry  that  have  hung  in  place  600  years.  In  the  vestry 
was  an  old  chair  said  to  have  belonged  to  Oliver  Cromwell. 
Elmer  sat  down  in  it.  I  declined  the  honor.  The  oldest 
part  of  this  church  was  built  about  the  twelfth  century  One 
window  in  commemoration  of  Queen  Victoria's  visit  cost 
$12,500.     We  saw  some  crypts  down  in  the  basement  of  the 


Ki\  KR     ABANA, 

DAMASCUS,    SYRIA, 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND   MILES   LONG.  17 

church,  dating  back  to  the  Twelfth  century.  Glasgow,  on 
account  of  soft  coal  and  a  great  manufacturing  center,  is  as 
smoky  as  Pittsburg  or  Cleveland.  In  business  activity  it  re- 
sembles an  American  city. 

One  morning  we  purchased  tickets  to  Edinburgh  via  Loch 
Lomond  and  Loch  Katrine,  costing  seventeen  shilling  each, 
over  the  North  British  railway. 

We  wended  our  way  to  the  station.  There  were  many 
trains  coming  and  going.  You  have  all  seen  descriptions  of 
how  the  apartment  and  corridor  cars  look.  You  just  walk 
along  outside  the  train  and  open  the  door  from  the  plat- 
form wherever  you  like  and  step  into  the  car.  There  are 
four  or  five  apartments  in  each  car.  The  train  of  perhaps 
a  dozen  coaches  are  nearly  all  third  class,  perhaps  one  first 
class  looking  no  better.  No  longer  any  second  class  on 
these  roads.  Like  everybody  else,  our  tickets  were  third 
class.  The  first  class  car  should  have  been  draped  in  mourn- 
ing to  correspond  to  its  lonesome  look.  The  platform  was 
filled  with  people  hurrying  to  and  fro.  All  the  fashionable 
ones,  of  course,  had  porters  to  carry  their  luggage.  No  large 
trunks.  Nearly  all  the  baggage  was  small  enough  to  go 
into  the  apartment  with  you ;  if  not,  there  was  a  baggage 
van  coach  on  the  train,  but  you  would  have  to  claim  it  at 
destination.  No  system  of  checking.  Our  train  was  filled 
with  well-dressed  people  as  we  left  Glasgow  for  Balloch. 
Just  before  starting  a  conductor  came  along,  and  punched 
each  of  our  tickets,  but  not  locking  us  in,  as  I  expected. 
In  our  compartment  there  were  ten,  all  adults — the  ut- 
most limit  of  its  seating  capacity.  For  several  miles  our 
train  ran  down  the  Clyde,  passing  Dunbarton  Castle  and  the 
shipbuilding  centers.  Nearly  all  roadways  for  street  travel 
are  elevated  above  the  track  in  the  country,  while  in  the 
cities  tunnels  are  used,  or  a  natural  depression  in  the  land. 
All  trains  run  swiftly  between  stations  with  no  ringing  of 
bells,  as  there  are  no  railroad  crossings.  This  August  morn- 
ing the  farms,  with  haying  in  full  progress  and  fields  of 
oats,   barley,   wheat,   beans   and  potatoes,    with   pastures   and 


18  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

cattle,  sheep  and  horses  grazing  on  them,  with  wild  flowers 
everywhere — could  we  but  say,  "This  is  bonnie  Scotland?" 
Arriving  at  Balloch  we  found  a  pretty  steamer  waiting 
for  us,  already  well  loaded  with  passengers  from  trains  on 
other  roads.  Our  train  load  crowded  on,  many  of  us  only 
having  standing  room.  Shortly  we  were  sailing  over  Loch 
Lomond,  the  largest  of  Scottish  lakes.  Just  then  a  man  came 
walking  among  us,  dressed  in  uniform,  saying,  "Has  ye  all 
got  tickets?"  What  a  cosmopolitan  lot  of  people.  Several 
hundred,  mostly  English  speaking,  yet  from  everywhere. 
Everybody  wore  such  a  look  of  expectancy,  as  we  all  knew 
that  this  lake  scenery  has  a  world-wide  reputation.  At  first 
the  lake  was  quite  wide;  there  were  also  a  good  many  trees 
•>n  the  hillsides.  In  the  distance  in  front  of  us  there  were 
tall,  rugged  mountains.  One  range  looked  as  high  and  re- 
minded me  of  the  Catskills  on  the  Hudson.  There  were 
farms  on  which  were  sheep  feeding,  and  altogether  from  the 
lake  was  a  scene  of  pastoral  beauty.  The  lake  is  twenty-one 
miles  long  and  five  miles  wide  at  our  entrance,  narrowing 
down  to  one-half  mile  wide.  The  mountains  grow  bolder, 
some  of  them  over  3000  feet  high.  Nooks  and  dells  of  tim- 
ber, wooded  islands  so  sylvanlike  in  appearance  that  as  our 
steamer  glided  along  between  them  we  seemed  to  be  in  fairy 
land.  There  were  boats  with  people  in  them  fishing.  Beau- 
tiful towns  that  the  steamer  stopped  at  where  we  saw  flowers 
creeping  up  on  the  houses  and  in  the  yards,  and  troops  of 
gaily  dressed  people.  The  kaleidoscope  of  color  all  about 
us,  the  green,  brown,  purple  and  gray  on  the  mountains,  the 
still  blue  waters  and  little  rocky  isles,  with  only  a  bit  of 
green,  or  a  tree  or  two,  a  rare  bit  for  the  Scotch  poets  to 
write  about.  Loch  Lomond,  will  we  ever  forget  your 
entrancing  beauty  and  loveliness?  Our  soul  says,  "Never." 
Our  boat  landed  us  at  Iversnaid.  The  most  of  the  passen- 
gers had  landed  at  the  different  towns  along  the  lake,  yet 
there  were  four  large  tally-ho  English  coaches,  with  coach- 
men and  footmen  dressed  in  red  coats  to  take  the  100  peo- 
ple left  over  the  hills  to  Loch  Katrine.     We  climbed  on  a 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND   MILES   LONG.  19 

coach.  T'p.e  driver  cracked  his  whip.  We  were  away,  over 
rock,  hill  and  dell,  with  beautiful  wild  flowers  about  us  for 
two  miles,  and  then  we  take  the  steamer  on  Loch  Katrine. 
The  tally-ho  ride  had  been  a  chapter  of  surprises  at  every 
turn.  Now  in  dense  woods,  then  by  the  side  of  a  rippling 
brook. 

We  sailed  away  on  Loch  Katrine.  We  were  in  Rob  Roy's 
country.  No  wind,  no  sunshine,  yet  this  placid  lake  looked 
like  a  mirror,  reflecting  rocks,  trees,  birds  flying  overhead, 
and  sharp  mountain  peaks,  as  though  its  surface  was  one 
great  French  plate  glass.  This  lake  is  narrow  and  not  many 
trees  in  sight.  Upon  the  mountain  sides  were  fields  of  heath 
bloom,  red  in  color,  looking  like  velvet,  and  in  other  places 
were  great  stretches  of  the  famous  heather  just  coming  into 
its  purple  color  and  bloom.  Interspersed  among  and  around 
both  were  irregular  patches  of  ferns,  and  brown  rocky  places 
with  grass  and  wild  flowers,  all  forming  a  scene  of  such 
beauty  and  color  that  I  said  to  a  Scotchman,  a  world-wide 
traveler,  standing  by  my  side,  with  whom  I  had  been  con- 
versing, "Will  I  see  anything  grander  in  Switzerland?"  He 
replied,  "No,  nothing  more  bonnie  except  the  mountains  will 
be  a  wee  bit  higher."  As  we  reached  the  steamer  landing 
another  lot  of  English  tally-ho  coaches  were  ready.  A  ride 
of  five  miles  was  before  us,  over  Scottish  highlands  and 
moors.  Not  many  trees,  and  in  many  places  none  at  all, 
while  heath,  heather,  ferns,  grass,  wild  flowers  and  steep 
mountain  sides  with  their  tops  bathed  in  soft  and  seem- 
ingly ever-present  summer  clouds,  made  it  a  ride  I  will 
never  forget.  Just  before  sunset,  as  we  drove  into  Aberfoyle, 
a  little  highland  town,  the  clouds  lifted  in  the  west,  a  bit 
of  sunshine  shone  forth,  lighting  up  the  highlands  and  moors 
about  us  with  such  gleams  of  sparkling,  golden  color,  that 
we  concluded,  although  the  railroad  train  for  Edinburgh 
was  waiting  for  the  stages,  to  break  our  ride,  as  we  had  a 
right  to  do,  and  resume  our  journey  the  next  day.  In  the 
long,  lingering  twilight,  after  eating  our  supper,  we  walked 
out  on  a  hill,  and  as  the  bright  twilight  slowly  ebbed  away, 


20  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

Elmer's  enthusiasm,  which  gathers  very  slowly  as  compared 
with  my  impulsive  self,  broke  forth,  "I  do  not  wonder  that 
poets  grow  here.     It  is  such  a  pretty  country." 

Early  the  next  morning,  with  birds  singing,  I  walked  over 
the  moor.  Steep  and  rocky  in  many  places,  but  Oh,  what 
rugged  beauty  I  With  what  eagerness  I  gathered  the  blue 
bells,  buttercups,  daisies,  queen  of  the  meadow,  heath  bloom, 
heather  and  other  flowers  I  can  not  name.  I  wandered 
farther  and  farther  away.  Up  yonder  mountain  trail  amid 
the  crags  and  rocks,  covered  with  verdure,  I  saw  wending  her 
way  upward,  a  Highland  girl,  trooping  so  gracefully  along 
that  I  thought  of  the  beautiful  poem  Wordsworth  wrote,  en- 
titled the  "Sweet  Highland  Girl."  I  stalked  the  grouse  as 
I  walked  along,  and  I  paused  to  hear  the  robins  sing.  I  heard 
the  bleating  of  some  lambs  and  their  echoing  cry  from  crag 
to  crag.  Over  in  a  wooded  copse  some  wild  birds  sang  such 
sweet  notes  that  out  of  my  soul  came  answering  cries.  My 
voice  came  forth  in  rapturous  tones,  and  loudly  I  sang  snatches 
of  sweet  song,  I  was  in  tune  with  nature's  choir,  and  we 
all  lifted  our  voices  with  wondrous  power.  The  angels  heard 
and  understood,  and  paused  to  catch  the  sweet  refrain ;  then 
flew  away  to  heaven  above,  to  carry  the  song  of  nature's  love. 
Was  it  not  a  touch  of  Paradise?  A  foretaste  of  Eden  life 
again?    Reluctantly  I  returned  to  Aberfoyle. 

We  entered  our  train  for  Edinburgh  and  were  away  from 
the  Highlands  and  the  Trossacks. 

The  word  moor  seems  to  be  applied  to  large  scopes  of  coun- 
try where  there  are  no  trees.  The  Scotch  people  call  a  hill 
a  "Fell,"  and  everywhere  in  the  British  Isles  a  stone  wall  is 
called  a  stone  dyke. 

We  entered  a  beautiful  farming  country.  Some  ladies  en- 
tered our  compartment  at  a  small  station.  As  the  train  sped 
along  I  heard  one  of  them  say,  "How  fine  the  corn  is  look- 
ing." I  knew  what  they  meant.  They  were  talking  of  fields 
of  oats  all  headed  out.  There  is  not  a  spear  of  Indian  corn 
to  be  seen  in  all  this  land.  We  passed  fields  of  peat  and 
We   saw  little   clumps  of  Scotch  thistles.  Hay  when  cut  Is 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND   MILES   LONG.  21 

only  partially  cured.  It  is  put  in  small  ricks,  then  after  two 
or  three  weeks,  is  hauled  on  a  two-wheeled  cart,  one  rick 
at  a  time,  alongside  of  the  stables,  and  put  up  in  large 
ricks,  or  finely  shaped  hay  stacks,  coming  to  a  point  at  the 
top.  Then  nicely  thatched  with  fine,  straight  hay,  cords  tied 
about,  so  the  wind  will  not  lift  or  scatter.  Buildings  are  too 
costly  in  this  country  to  have  barns  to  put  hay  in. 

About  ID  o'clock  we  reached  Sterling.  We  were  on  his- 
toric ground.  We  again  broke  our  journey  and  concluded 
to  explore  Sterling  Castle.  Being  hungry,  we  went  into  a 
restaurant  and  ordered  some  strawberries  and  cream,  with 
just  a  few  scones.  Beautiful  red  berries — we  wondered  where 
they  got  their  color,  with  so  little  sunshine.  Somebody  painted 
them — it  was  the  God  of  nature,  not  man.  We  never  saw 
finer  currants  than  grow  here,  and  the  gooseberries  are  as 
large  as  cherries,  the  best  in  the  world. 

We  walked  up  little,  narrow,  old  paved  streets,  scarcely 
wide  enough  for  teams  to  pass,  with  buildings  to  corre- 
spond, and  were  at  the  entrance  of  Sterling  Castle.  Our 
thoughts  went  back  to  nearly  2000  years  ago  when  the  Ro- 
mans invaded  this  country  and  taught  our  savage  ancestors 
how  to  till  the  land,  and  commenced  fortifications  on  this 
very  spot.  Then  in  feudal  times,  about  the  twelfth  century, 
this  castle  was  erected.  We  were  shown  how  the  moat  was 
made,  the  drawbridge  arranged,  the  portcullis  operated,  and 
the  numerous  loopholes,  to  shoot  with  bow  and  arrow  at  as- 
sailants. We  saw  where  the  battle  of  Bannockbum  was 
fought,  and  just  beyond  on  a  hill  the  noble  monument  erected 
in  memory  of  Wallace.  Here  resided  Mary,  the  queen  of 
Scotland,  for  a  time,  and  just  in  front  of  her  bedroom  win- 
dow is  a  tournament  ground  laid  out — and  nobody  living 
knows  how  to  play  the  game  that  former  Kings  and  Queens 
of  Scotland  used  to  play  on  the  same  grounds,  now  forever 
to  be  kept  (by  act  of  parliament)  as  the  grounds  were  centuries 
ago.  All  castles  are  built  on  high  rocks  or  rocky  plateau^ 
in  this  country,  and  they  would  have  been  inaccessible  to 
this  day  if  guns  and  gunpowder  had  not  come  into  use.  This 


22  A  CALIFORNIA^   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

castle  is  now  a  recruiting  station  for  a  Highland  regiment 
of  soldiers,  and  here  we  saw  for  the  first  time  soldiers  and 
sentries  in   full  uniform  of  the  kilts. 

Getting  on  another  train  we  again  started  for  Edinburgh, 
passing  by  much  of  interest,  for  in  this  land,  to  an  Ameri- 
can, there  is  something  to  attract  his  attention  each  turn  he 
makes.  We  came  to  the  great  bridge  over  the  Frith  of  Forth, 
where  our  train  crossed  it — i6o  feet  above  the  water  level. 
It  is  one  and  one-fifth  miles  long.  It  took  seven  years  to 
build  it,  and  50,000  tons  of  steel  were  used  in  its  construc- 
tion. As  our  train  pased  over  we  were  not  conscious  of  a 
jar  or  quiver.  The  wonderful  part  of  it  is  there  are  but  three 
spans  of  the  bridge.    Great  are  the  achievements  of  men. 

Toward  evening  our  train  glided  into  Waverly  station  at 
Edinburgh,  the  "Modern  Athens"  of  Europe,  a  city  of  about 
300,000  people.  It  is  one  of  the  most  romantic  and  beauti- 
fully situated  cities  in  the  world.  I  have  seen  no  city  any- 
where, Vv'here  there  are  so  many  people  passing  to  and  fro  at 
seemingly  all  hours  from  the  railroad  trains  as  in  this  great 
station,  except  in  our  Philadelphia.  We  secured  good  rooms 
very  quickly,  in  Leith  street,  only  a  minute's  walk  from 
the  general  postoffice  and  station.  What  a  difference  as  com- 
pared with  Glasgow,  not  in  size,  but  in  character  and  aspect. 
Everybody  at  work  in  Glasgow — a  bustling  manufacturing 
city.  Here  once  the  Capital  of  Scotland,  with  great  uni- 
versities and  noble  schools,  yet  on  many  streets  of  the  older 
part  of  the  city  where  its  nobility  once  lived  are  the  many 
wretched  homes  of  the  poor.  The  public  inns  or  taverns 
(never  called  saloons  here)  were  numerous,  and  many  thou- 
sands carried  marks  of  dissipation  and  vice  in  their  faces. 
Many  others  had  a  look  of  hopeless  despair,  the  inevitable 
result  of  grinding  poverty.  We  were  beginning  to  come  in 
contact  with  the  poor  of  Europe. 

Princess  street  is  the  fashionable  thoroughfare  of  the 
boulevard  style,  with  trees,  flowers  and  walks  on  one  side 
and  fine  stores  with  fashionable  hotels  over  them  on  the 
other  side.     Sir  Walter  Scott's  monument  on  the  side  where 


STREET    SCENE   IN   DAMASCUS 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND  MILES  LONG.  23 

the  little  parks  are  is  the  handsomest  one  I  ever  saw.  The 
design — ^by  a  poor  shepherd  boy — is  graceful,  artistic  and  soul 
inspiring.  It  is  200  feet  high.  We  visited  John  Knox's  house 
on  High  street.  He  was  the  great  reformer  in  Scotland  and 
founder  of  Presbjrterianism.  The  house  projects  into  the 
street  several  feet,  and  every  pleasant  day  may  be  seen  car- 
riages full  of  people,  and  many  pedestrian  strangers  standing 
about,  gazing  at  it.  The  house  was  built  in  1470.  On  the 
side,  and  running  around  the  corner  above  the  first  story, 
used  as  a  store,  is  this  inscription :  "Lofe  God  above  all  and 
ye  nychbour  as  ye  self."  We  ascended  the  stairs  outside  in 
the  front.  The  price  of  admission  is  sixpence.  Then  by  a 
corridor  and  interior  stairway  came  to  the  entrance  of  the 
dining  and  sitting  room  of  Knox's  time.  Now  this  entrance 
to  his  rooms  is  enclosed,  a  little  projection  looking  up  High 
street.  In  his  day  it  was  simply  an  open  balcony.  These 
rooms  are  in  the  third  story.  The  stairway  and  the  old  door, 
with  the  old-fashioned  iron  knocker  are  just  the  same  today. 
The  stairs  and  threshold  are  of  stone.  How  these  stone 
steps  and  threshold  are  worn.  The  tramp  of  feet  for  cen- 
turies will  grind  away  the  hardest  rock.  We  entered  the  din- 
ing room.  Here  by  a  window  looking  up  High  street  is  where 
he  frequently  preached  to. the  people  in  the  street.  Just  here, 
sitting  in  a  chair,  he  died  on  the  24th  of  November,  1572. 
The  room  is  quite  large,  with  square  and  oval  corners,  a  fire- 
place on  one  side  and  at  the  back  a  door  leading  to  his  bed- 
room. On  the  side  toward  the  front  was  another  old  door 
leading  to  a  little  entryway,  the  entrance  to  his  study.  This 
little  room,  not  over  5x7,  was  built  while  he  lived  in  the 
house,  October,  1561.  Hie  said  of  this  little  study  that  he 
"only  wanted  room  for  himself  and  his  Bible."  It  had  only 
one  little  half  window.  In  it  was  the  first  Bible  ever  printed 
in  Scotland,  1576 — not  Knox's,  as  this  was  after  he  died. 
While  the  rooms  throughout  are  furnished  as  in  Knox's  time 
there  is  only  one  piece  of  furniture  in  the  house  that  be- 
longed to  him,  an  old  chair  in  the  study.  The  rooms  are  in 
panel  style,  and  when  one  of  the  old  doors  is  closed,  it  looks 


24  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

like  the  side  of  the  room.  There  are  only  portions  of  the 
ceiling  and  sides  of  the  rooms,  just  the  same  as  when  Knox 
was  alive.  One  can  see  the  difference  by  close  inspection. 
What  interested  me  greatly  was  that  just  by  the  window 
where  he  died,  in  a  jog  of  the  room,  was  a  bit  of  landscape 
painting  on  the  old  original  wall,  so  dimmed  with  age  that 
one  had  to  stoop  to  catch  the  light  from  the  window,  in  order 
to  trace  the  trees  and  scenery.  In  sight  up  the  street  is  St. 
Giles  cathedral,  where  he  preached.  Aside  from  that  asso- 
ciation, we  were  not  particularly  interested  in  the  cathedral. 
In  the  rear  of  the  cathedral,  in  Parliament  square,  is  a  little 
bronze  tablet  in  the  pavement,  marked  "J.  K.,  1572,"  and  this 
is  supposed  to  mark  the  spot  where  John  Knox  is  buried. 
Still  keeping  up  the  street  we  come  to  the  castle  of  Edin- 
burgh. Here  we  saw  the  oldest  building  in  Edinburgh,  a 
chapel  erected  by  Queen  Margaret  over  8co  years  ago.  We 
saw  the  crown  once  worn  by  the  Scottish  kings  and  queens, 
also  the  crown  jewels.  We  saw  Queen  Mary's  room,  where 
her  sons,  James  VI  of  Scotland  and  James  I  of  England  were 
born.  Some  of  the  original  ceiling  is  still  in  place.  We  saw 
old  cannon  and  there  were  the  ever-present  soldiers,  all 
dressed  in  Highland  costume.  The  moats,  drawbridges  and 
all  about  it  were  interesting. 

We  then  went  to  Holyrood  palace,  about  a  mile  away.  Here 
Queen  Mary  lived,  and  we  saw  her  bedroom  and  bed,  the 
finery  decaying  with  age.  The  walls  are  covered  with  tapes- 
try and  in  their  time  must  have  been  very  handsome.  Ad- 
joining her  room  is  a  larger  room  called  the  audience  cham- 
ber. It  was  here  John  Knox  and  the  queen  had  such  stormy 
interviews.  In  this  room  is  another  bed,  all  made  up,  said  to 
be  the  bed  Charles  I  slept  in.  Everywhere  you  go  here  in  this 
country  to  old  castles,  palaces,  cathedrals  and  abbeys,  there 
are  many  people  like  yourself  tramping  along  the  same  way, 
from  nearly  all  countries.  Yet  Americans  number  the  most 
and  Oriental  countries  none. 

We  rode  six  miles  in  the  country  to  see  Rosslyn  chapel.  It 
was  built  about  1450.    Now  only  some  of  the  walls  are  stand- 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND   MILES   LONG.  25 

ing,  as  it  was  destroyed  by  one  of  Cromwell's  generals.  The 
ride  was  a  delightful  one;  the  country  begins  just  where  the 
city  leaves  off,  and  there  are  little  Scotch  villages  and  glimpses 
of  rural  life  as  you  drive  along.  All  over  the  British  isles  the 
roads  are  extremely  good,  bordered  by  a  hawthorn  hedge,  not 
wide,  and  no  ditches  at  the  side.  There  is  not  much  more 
than  room  for  two  wagons  to  pass.  The  grades  are  cut 
down  and  they  are  the  best  I  ever  saw,  and  are  kept  in 
perfect  repair.  Teams  pass  one  another  to  the  left  instead 
of  the  right.  Through  the  little  villages  there  is  usually  a 
narrow  sidewalk  on  one  side.  In  the  fields  of  grain  and  by 
the  hedges  there  were  many  wild  poppies,  not  golden,  but  a 
deep  scarlet.  Waving  in  the  breeze,  with  the  corn  and  wheat, 
they  make  a  striking  picture.  There  came  a  heavy  shower 
of  rain  which  prevented  us  from  wandering  along  the  banks 
of  the  heavily  wooded  Esk  to  the  romantic  home  of  Wil- 
liam Drummond,  a  Scotch  poet,  called  Hawthornden.  We 
then  returned  to  the  city  and  as  we  had  been  invited  out  to 
tea  by  a  Scottish  lady,  we  spent  the  evening  in  her  home, 
and  were  entertained  in  royal  style. 

We  were  in  Edinburgh  over  Sunday.  No  street  cars  run- 
ning until  about  lO  o'clock,  and  only  last  year  did  they  com- 
mence running  on  Sunday  at  any  hour. 

In  the  forenoon  we  went  to  the  Wesleyan  church  (as  Meth- 
odist churches  are  called  here  )in  Nicholson  square.  As  we 
enter  we  noticed  on  the  front,  "Erected  A.  D.  1815."  The 
preacher  wore  a  black  gown,  and  the  pulpit  was  very  high. 
When  preaching  his  head  was  on  a  level  with  the  lower  tier 
of  seats  of  the  gallery.  The  sermon  and  also  attendance  were 
good.  More  singing  than  in  America,  and  when  the  benedic- 
tion is  pronounced  everybody  sits  down,  which  is  the  custom 
in  all  the  churches. 

Monday  morning,  August  18,  we  purchased  our  tickets  to 
Manchester,  England.  At  6:20  a.  m.  we  left  Waverly  sta- 
tion, which  covers  twenty-three  acres  of  ground,  and  one- 
half  of  it  roofed  over.  It  is  the  largest  station  in  the  United 
Kingdom.    Our  train  was  a  slow  one,  only  local.    The  reason 


26  A  CALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

we  were  on  this  slow  poke  of  a  train  was  we  could  stop  at 
Melrose  Abbey,  some  thirty  miles  away,  and  have  about  four 
hours,  then  catch  the  fast  express  on  its  way  to  London.  All 
country  stations  are  enclosed  with  iron  fences,  buildings  or 
hedges,  and  you  cannot  get  out  without  showing  your  ticket. 
We  saw  a  rolling,  beautiful  country,  with  parks  of  trees, 
scattering  ones  in  the  fields,  sometimes  rows  of  them  along 
the  roads.  Great  flocks  of  crows  were  quite  common,  and 
now  and  then  a  scarecrow  set  up  in  the  fields  reminded  us  that 
the  farmer  had  trouble.  We  met  freight  trains.  All  the 
freight  cars  are  about  one-half  as  long  as  those  you  see  in 
America,  and  scarcely  any  of  them  roofed.  The  open  ones, 
unless  loaded  with  coal  or  iron,  are  covered  with  large  rub- 
ber covers.  It  looks  real  strange  to  see  long  trains  of  these 
short  cars  covered  up.  Some  of  the  country  was  very  hilly, 
yet  pasture  and  cultivation  everywhere  unless  covered  with 
trees.  We  arrived  at  Melrose  and  walked  just  a  short  dis- 
tance to  the  Abbey  through  this  little  country  town.  Roofless 
and  in  ruins,  yet  its  outlines  were  so  imposing  and  S)rmmetri- 
cal  that  we  were  immediately  interested.  Built  in  the  twelfth 
century  and  battered  in  the  wars  of  the  Reformation,  yet  it 
only  takes  one  glance  to  command  your  admiration.  The 
carved  stones,  the  beautiful  tracing  of  the  foliage,  the  life- 
like figures  so  real,  the  sculptor's  private  mark,  and  the 
amount  of  all  this  work  is  a  marvel  to  everyone.  Sir  Walter 
Scott  wrote  about  it,  and  on  a  stone,  by  a  pile  of  rocks,  once 
the  foundation  of  a  mighty  pillar,  was  his  favorite  seat  to 
view  these  grand  ruins.  The  more  we  walked  about,  the  more 
beauty  we  saw.  It  must  have  taken  many  men  all  their  lives 
to  carve  such  delicate  work  and  so  many  lifelike  figures  on 
the  walls  of  this  monastery.  No  two  of  the  figures  are  alike. 
There  are  roses,  lilies,  thistles,  ferns,  heaths,  oak  and  ash 
leaves,  and  many  other  kinds  of  carvings,  all  chiseled  with 
such  a  perfect  imitation  of  nature  that  I  doubt  if  there 
are  sculptors  that  can  equal  it  today.  One  figure  represents 
an  angel  flying  away  with  a  message,  another  one  on  the 
outer  wall  has  such  a  sweet  smile,  it  looks  as  though  the  smile 


DONKEY   LOADED   WITH    WEEDS 
FOR   FUEL   NEAR   DAMASCUS 


A  TALE  SIX  THOUSAND   MILES   LONG.  27 

was  for  you.  All  these  figures  and  carvings  are  a  part  of  the 
walls  of  the  building.  The  foliage  upon  the  capitals  of  the 
pilasters  is  so  finely  carved  that  we  took  straws  and  passed 
through,  wondering  how  such  delicate  work  could  be  done. 
As  we  walked  around  our  feet  were  treading  over  the  ashes 
of  many  a  warrior  and  priest.  Just  by  a  large  window  (no 
glass  in  any  of  the  windows)  is  buried  the  heart  of  Eling 
Robert  Bruce.  Here  the  keeper  and  his  wife,  as  we  were  about 
the  only  visitors  this  early  in  the  day,  told  us  a  touching  in- 
cident. He  said :  "Yesterday  a  lady  now  visiting  in  Glasgow, 
but  living  in  California,  brought  to  me  a  flower,  I  think  she 
called  it  a  poppy,  and  wanted  to  put  it  on  the  little  stone 
marking  where  the  heart  of  Bruce  is  buried.  She  said  she 
had  been  a  widow  four  years,  and  this  flower  had  grown  on 
her  husband's  grave.  She  had  just  sent  to  her  servant  in 
California  for  it."  He  further  said :  "We  picked  a  little 
wreath  of  ivy  you  see  climbing  over  the  wall  to  encircle  the 
flower  and  put  it  on  the  stone.  She  said  she  was  coming  again 
in  the  evening,  when  the  moon  was  shining,  but  I  did  not 
see  her  again,  nor  do  I  see  the  flower."  I  said :  "It  rained 
hard  yesterday  evening  in  Edinburgh."  He  replied:  "That 
must  have  kept  her  away,  as  it  rained  here,  with  heavy  wind. 
I  presume  she  has  gone.  She  was  staying  at  the  hotel."  We 
looked  about.  Over  in  the  dirt  he  picked  up  a  little  wet, 
wilted,  faded  flower,  and  knowing  that  I  was  from  California, 
he  said :  "Is  this  it  ?"  I  took  the  little  bedraggled  thing. 
Was  it  a  poppy?  Turning  it  over,  on  just  one  petal  I  saw 
the  color,  one  little  bright  golden  spot,  no  larger  than  a  tear 
drop.  I  said:  "It  is  a  golden  poppy  and  from  California." 
With  loving  tenderness  we  replaced  the  flower.  My  heart 
was  full.  I  walked  out  into  the  cloisters.  I  paced  to  and 
fro,  wrapt  in  reverie.  I  did  not  even  know  the  lady's  name. 
I  repelled  the  thought  of  ascertaining  her  name  on  the  hotel 
register.  What  an  orchid  of  excellence  in  thought  and  af- 
fection. What  a  blossom  of  sentiment.  Perchance  the  tiny 
spot  of  golden  brightness  that  I  saw  in  identifying  the  poppy 
was  kept  by  the  lady's  tear  of  sympathy.    Oh,  sentiment,  what  a 


28  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

talismanic  charm  thou  art,  eclipsing  in  real  worth  any  crown  of 
jewels  ever  worn.  How  proud  I  was  that  from  beneath  the 
sunny  skies  of  Golden  California  such  bright,  sweet,  tender 
and  loving  sentiment  grew,  and  typified  by  this  golden  poppy, 
was  carried  6000  miles  away  to  blossom  and  rest  over  the  last 
resting  place  of  the  heart  of  the  most  heroic  of  all  Scottish 
kings.  With  another  look  at  the  roofless,  yet  beautiful  walls 
of  Melrose  Abbey,  where  each  interstice  is  simply  crushed  oys- 
ter shell,  we  walked  back  to  the  station  and  jumped  on  the  fast 
London  express,  and  in  the  next  chapter  will  tell  you  some- 
thing of  England. 


n. 
tendon,  9arh  and  :^ermani(. 

The  car  we  entered  at  Melrose  had  a  corridor  on  one  side 
and  doors  leading  into  compartments  first  and  third  class. 
On  an  electric  button  was  this  notice :  "An  attendant  will  ac- 
company you  to  the  dining  car."  It  was  vestibuled  and  had 
two  elegant  dining  cars  in  front,  first  and  third  class.  The 
cars  were  long  and  handsome  inside  and  out. 

The  train  fairly  flew  across  the  country  and  by  all  the  small 
stations.  The  country  for  the  first  hour  or  two  was  very 
beautiful,  with  large  trees  and  just  uneven  enough  to  charm 
the  eye  every  way  one  looks. 

The  conductor  came  along,  saying,  "Did  you  book  here?" 
meaning  Melrose.  All  ticket-selling  places  are  marked  book- 
ing stations  and  when  we  want  a  ticket  we  simply  say  we  want 
to  book  to  destination. 

At  Ravenswood  and  from  there  to  St.  Boswell's,  at  this 
season,  is  the  best  looking  farming  country  I  ever  saw.  Har- 
wick  is  a  good-sized  city.  Then  we  came  to  quite  a  stretch 
of  country,  treeless  and  looking  poor  and  wet.  Such  country 
is  called  moors.  I  saw  patches  of  bright  looking  flowers  now 
and  then  and  a  Scotch  lady  in  our  compartment  said  they 
were  "ling  flowers."  We  soon  came  to  the  river  Eden,  and 
for  some  distance,  twisting  and  winding  along  at  express  train 
speed,  we  followed  downward  the  course  of  this  river.  For 
the  first  time  since  landing  at  Glasgow,  the  clouds  began  to 
look  as  one  sees  them  in  winter  time  in  California,  distinct 
clouds  and  patches  of  blue  sky.     Everywhere  in  this  country 


30  A  CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

if  the  weather  is  cloudy  and  threatening,  which  seems  to  be 
the  rule,  you  will  hear  after  the  usual  morning  salutation,  "It 
is  a  dull  morning,"  or  "It  looks  dull  today." 

The  millions  of  people  in  the  British  isles  who  do  not  travel 
to  other  countries  have  no  conception  or  idea  as  to  distance  or 
heat,  as  Americans  do,  and  the  masses  travel  very  little — just 
little,  cheap  holiday  excursions  to  some  near-by  place  at  long 
intervals.     (I  am  not  speaking  of  the  commercial  classes.) 

At  Carlisle  we  were  on  English  soil.  For  many  miles  the 
country  was  rocky  and  there  were  many  stone  dykes,  used 
as  fences.  There  are  so  many  new  and  pleasing  features  of 
home  life  and  scenery  to  see  on  an  English  railway  that  each 
hour  is  a  delight  and  pleasure.  At  Hellifield  we  changed 
from  our  London  train  to  a  train  for  Manchester,  passing 
through  Bradford,  another  large  city.  From  Bradford  to 
Manchester  the  manufacturing  plants  are  so  thick  that  it  is 
almost  like  one  city.  A  peculiarity  about  them  all  is  that  each 
factory  has  a  very  tall  brick  chimney  and  everywhere  they 
seemed  like  tall  monuments,  except  they  represent  the  pres- 
ent and  not  the  past.  The  houses  are  also  mostly  made  of 
brick,  not  stone,  as  in  Scotland. 

The  train  ran  very  fast,  with  scarcely  any  stops.  At  times 
there  was  a  perfect  labyrinth  of  tracks,  with  other  roads 
crossing,  but  never  on  the  same  grade.  No  ringing  of  loco- 
motive bells  or  whistling,  as  there  are  no  crossings,  always 
under  or  over  the  track.  We  did  not  stay  long  in  Manchester. 
We  concluded  it  was  a  thrifty,  manufacturing  city  and  its 
ship  canal,  recently  completed  to  the  sea,  is  giving  its  busi- 
ness men  and  interests  a  new  impetus. 

Shortly  after  reaching  Manchester  we  again  took  train  for 
Liverpool.  Interesting  at  every  turn  and  step  in  manufactur- 
ing, farming  and  gardening,  with  glimpses  of  English  rural 
life,  is  the  country  seen  traveling  between  these  large  cities, 
if  one  is  a  close  observer.  Just  before  sundown  we  arrivecl 
in  Liverpool.  We  soon  secured  a  comfortable  room  in  a 
hotel  and  retired  early.  The  landlady,  a  good  motherly 
woman,  in  showing  me  where  my  room  was,  said,  "Do  you 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  SI 

know  how  to  turn  off  the  gas?"  I  replied,  "I  think  I  do." 
We  found  Liverpool  a  well  built,  good  looking  city  of 
about  500,000  population.  Many  of  the  larger  trucks  had 
horses  harnessed  one  ahead  of  the  other,  thus  driving  along  with 
the  load  tandem  fashion.  We  walked  to  the  water  front  on 
the  Mersey.  What  wonderful  docks !  Some  of  them  floating, 
held  in  place  with  great  chains,  all  built  of  solid  masonry. 
There  is  an  elevated  railway  running  along  the  water  front 
for  several  miles.  We  climbed  the  stairway  and  rode  back 
and  forth.  There  were  many  ships,  large  and  small,  an- 
chored either  in  the  Mersey  or  lying  along  the  piers.  We  saw 
immense  dry  docks  large  enough  to  take  in  the  largest  ves- 
sels, some  of  them  occupied  by  ships  undergoing  repair.  On 
the  city  side  of  all  this  distance  were  immense  warehouses, 
filled  with  all  the  different  products  of  the  world.  We  walked 
out  on  one  of  the  outer  piers,  connected  with  many  other 
piers,  all  forming  a  continuous  sea  front,  apparently  rising 
and  falling  with  the  tide.  Here  ships  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  take  and  land  passengers  and  their  luggage.  While 
standing  there  a'  large  steamer  from  the  Isle  of  Man  landed 
many  passengers.  Then  came  a  large  ship,  the  Westernland, 
and  for  nearly  an  hour  we  stood  there  with  hundreds  of  other 
people,  watching  a  continuous  row  of  passengers  passing  on 
board,  all  bound  for  Philadelphia.  This  was  an  American 
steamship,  large  and  handsome  looking.  We  were  loth  to 
leave  such  a  scene  of  animation.  We  went  to  a  booking  office 
and  purchased  tickets  for  London. 

The  weather  was  delightful  and  we  chose  the  Midland  route 
to  see  the  best  scenery.  Even  the  railroad  embankments  are 
grassed  over  and  hay  mown  on  them — no  waste  anywhere.  If 
a  side  hill  is  being  washed  or  cut  away,  a  stone  embankment 
is  built  to  protect  it.  American  reapers  were  in  some  fields  at 
work  cutting  their  com  (oats). 

An  English  lady  in  our  compartment,  at  a  small  town,  as 
our  train  flew  along,  said,  "Look  at  those  Gypsies."  The 
scene,  a  few  old  covered  wagons,  with  poor  horses,  looked 
very  much   the   same  as   I   have  seen  them  camped  on  the 


32  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

river  bottom  at  Los  Angeles.  Gypsies,  I  think,  are  about 
the  same  everywhere.  Instead  of  a  train  boy  coming  along 
to  ask  you  to  buy  anything,  especially  fruit,  the  arrangement  on 
this  road  was  very  fine.  At  every  large  town  where  we 
stopped,  there  came  a  nicely  dressed  boy  along  the  side  of 
the  train,  with  fruit,  scones  and  sometimes  cups  of  tea  on  a 
tray,  just  telling  you  what  he  had  in  a  quiet  way.  You 
simply  opened  the  car  door  and  beckoned  to  him  if  you  wanted 
to  purchase. 

We  ran  through  some  very  wild  scenery,  steep,  rocky  hills, 
deep  cuts  and  long  tunnels.  This  hilly  country  had  scarcely 
any  trees,  yet  abounded  in  rock,  and  there  was  considerable 
stone  quarrying.  After  passing  Derbyshire  the  country  flat- 
tens out.  I  think  the  entire  southeastern  part  of  England"  is  a 
flat  country,  with  very  few  hills  and  ridges,  as  compared  with 
the  rest.  At  Leicester  our  compartment  became  crowded, 
fourteen,  small  and  large.  The  porter  at  the  station  said, 
"Only  one  portion  today,"  meaning  only  one  section  of  the 
train.  There  are  plenty  of  guides  and  porters  at  each  sta- 
tion, all  dressed  in  uniform,  who  answer  all  questions  and 
direct  passengers  in  changing  trains. 

We  saw  a  few  apple  trees,  while  in  front  of  the  houses 
were  nasturtiums,  marigolds,  pansies  and  many  other  flowers. 
The  change  from  country  to  city,  as  we  entered  London,  was 
quite  marked,  and  then  one  cannot  see  much  from  the  train, 
as  in  tunnels,  under  the  streets  it  passes  to  the  station. 

At  a  little  after  3  o'clock  p.  m.  we  alighted  from  the  train 
at  Saint  Pancras  station,  and  were  in  the  largest  city  in  the 
world.  We  summoned  a  hansom  and  were  swiftly  driven  to 
the  Waverly  hotel,  and  found  a  nice  room,  with  double  beds, 
electric  lights,  well  furnished  and  with  three  large  double 
windows.  This  room,  with  breakfast,  costs  us  one  crown 
each  per  day. 

We  took  a  long  walk  on  Oxford  street  to  Hyde  Park 
that  evening  and  were  wonderfully  impressed  with  the  crowded 
street,  the  masses  hurrying  to  and  fro,  the  two-story  omni- 
buses  filled    with    people,    the   cabs   everywhere    flying   about. 


STREET  SCENE  IN  LONDON 


LONDON,  PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  33 

On  an  area  of  several  square  miles  in  the  very  heart  of  Lon- 
don there  are  no  street  cars,  only  lines  running  outside  this 
center.  There  are  no  elevated  roads  anywhere.  There  is, 
as  called,  a  two-penny  tube,  an  underground  railway,  running 
in  portions  of  the  city.  This  is  the  one  Mr.  Yerkes  of  Chi- 
cago is  trying  to  manipulate.  The  next  morning,  having  read 
in  the  papers  that  the  Shah  of  Persia  would  take  a  train  at 
Charing  Cross  station,  we  concluded  to  see  a  little  of  royalty. 
No  one  can  get  their  regular  breakfasts  at  hotels  until  about  8 
o'clock.  After  breakfast  we  walked  in  the  direction  of 
Charing  Cross  station  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  Shah. 
We  sauntered  leisurely  along,  feeling  as  rich  as  a  king,  look- 
ing at  the  sights  of  London.  We  came  to  Trafalgar  square, 
and  while  looking  at  the  statues  of  four  large  bronzed  copper 
lions  I  happened  to  remember  that  I  left  our  money  at  the 
hotel  between  the  mattresses,  with  the  door  unlocked.  I  told 
Elmer,  and  in  a  cool,  matter-of-fact,  nonchalant  way  he  said : 
"That  ends  the  whole  business  and  finishes  the  trip."  We 
had  two  sovereigns,  one-half  of  a  crown,  a  few  pennies  and 
soqie  halfpence  with  us.  We  immediately  hailed  a  hansom, 
telling  the  driver  to  quickly  drive  us  to  the  hotel.  He  cracked 
his  whip  and  we  were  off.  It  seemed  to  me  that  that  particu- 
lar horse  was  the  slowest  one  in  all  London,  and  that  at 
every  turn  everybody  else  was  in  our  driver's  way.  What 
we  could  see  did  not  interest  us  any  more.  Oh,  how  slow 
we  seemed  to  go !  We  reached  the  hotel,  and  leaving  Elmer 
to  pay  the  driver,  I  quickly  ran  up  the  stairs,  instead  of  ring- 
ing up  the  elevator.  I  reached  the  room.  What  expectation 
as  I  reached  in  my  hand.  Hopefulness  I  still  had  left.  It  was 
there  intact.  Turning  to  Elmer,  an  aphorism  I  sometimes  use 
in  California  came  forth  involuntarily,  "It  is  better  to  be  born 
lucky  than  rich."  We  walked  out  this  time  towards  the 
Bank  of  England,  over  a  mile  away.  We  had  lost  interest  in 
the  Shah.  How  curious  human  nature  is.  Will  we  ever  un- 
derstand ourselves?  Are  we  not  all  surprised  at  times,  caus- 
ing us  to  wonder  at  our  changeable  moods? 
As  we  reached  Threadneedle  street,  we  walked  all  the  way 


84  A  CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING  THE   GLOBE. 

around  the  Bank  of  England,  looking  curiously  in  at  the  dif- 
ferent entrances,  where  pompous  looking  and  richly  uniformed 
men  were  pacing  to  and  fro,  like  sentinels.  Walking  around 
this  bank  (covering  three  acres)  seemed  ta  change  us  again. 
In  our  feelings  we  were  richer  than  any  depositor  in  the 
Bank  of  England.  Consulting  our  watches,  we  concluded 
that  we  might  yet  have  time  to  see  the  Shah.  We  jumped  on 
an  omnibus  running  along  the  Strand,  and  in  about  thirty 
minutes  came  in  sight  of  the  open  square  in  front  of  Charing 
Cross  station.  It  was  filled  with  people,  with  just  room  for 
cabs  and  omnibuses  to  pass.  We  hastily  alighted  and  worked 
our  way  up  to  the  edge  of  a  strip  of  pavement,  where  sawdust 
had  been  thrown. 

Everybody  was  on  the  eve  of  expectation.  "Here  he  comes," 
one  sang  out.  First  came  an  outrider  or  two,  then  ten  or 
twelve  men  on  black  steeds,  all  richly  caparisoned,  the  riders 
with  armor  on,  rifles  and  swords,  plumes,  gold  and  red  stripes, 
all  looking  to  me  as  I  would  picture  knights  of  the  medieval 
ages.  Then  came  the  carriages.  The  leading  one  contained 
the  Shah,  his  interpreter,  an  English  Lord  and  another  Per- 
sian. The  remaining  carriages  contained  his  suite  accompany- 
ing him.  All  the  Persians,  as  far  as  I  noticed,  had  long,  fierce- 
looking  moustaches.  The  coachmen  were  dressed  in  red 
coats,  white  trousers,  black  silk  hats,  trimmed  in  gold — the 
usual  traditional  style.  On  alighting  from  the  carriage  to 
take  the  railway  train,  a  red  velvet  carpet  was  spread  along 
the  platform  for  the  Shah  and  his  suite  to  walk  on. 

We  had  seen  the  Shah  of  Persia. 

One  Sunday  afternoon  we  attended  Sabbath  School  in  City 
Road  Chapel,  where  John  Wesley  used  to  preach.  No  adults 
in  attendance  and  not  over  sixty  present,  mostly  children. 
More  singing  than  teaching;  rather  a  poor  affair.  I  learned 
afterwards  that  some  of  the  older  people  were  there  but  had 
a  class  service  in  another  room,  at  the  same  hour. 

In  the  evening  we  crossed  London  bridge  to  attend  the 
Metropolitan  Temple  (Spurgeon's).  There  is  a  little  yard  in 
front,  and  wide  steps  leading  up  to  the  main  doors.     I  was 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  35 

surprised  on  arrival  to  find  hundreds  of  people  filling  this 
space  waiting  for  the  doors  to  open.  An  open-air  meeting 
was  also  in  progress.  We  went  to  a  little  side  door  and  told 
the  keeper  we  were  strangers.  He  let  us  in,  enabling  us  to 
choose  our  seat  in  the  first  gallery.  The  room  is  built  in  the 
form  of  an  oblong  circle,  with  two  galleries  all  around,  one 
tier  above  the  other.  The  first  gallery  had  six  rows  of  seats 
and  the  upper  one  five.  The  preacher's  pulpit  was  high 
enough  so  that  when  preaching  his  head  was  on  a  level  with 
the  center  of  the  first  gallery.  In  a  very  few  minutes  that 
great  church,  seating  3700  people,  filled  up.  No  instrumental 
music  of  any  kind;  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  a  little  lower  down 
and  facing  the  preacher,  was  room  for  fifteen  or  twenty  sing- 
ers, which  was  the  choir.  Just  back  of  the  pulpit  and  only  as 
wide,  was  a  tier  of  seats  up  across  the  gallery  for  the  elders 
of  the  church.  A  door  in  the  rear  where  they  had  a  prayer 
meeting  before  the  service  gave  them  entrance.  Still  the  peo- 
ple came.  The  pulpit  stairs,  all  the  steps  in  the  aisles  of  the 
galleries  were  full  and  some  of  the  windows  had  people  sit- 
ting in  them.  No  more  room,  yet  hundreds  more  came  and 
stood  up  during  the  service.  There  were  over  4000  people 
present. 

Not  a  stained  glass  window,  no  memorial  ones,  nor  any 
needless  ornamentation.  It  was  a  right  sort  of  a  church,  and 
that  kind  brings  the  people.  The  pastor,  Mr.  Spurgeon's  son, 
was  away.  A  Mr.  MacNeil  from  Scotland  preached.  I  think 
he  is  a  Presbyterian.  There  were  plenty  of  hymn  books. 
Everybody  had  one.  Everybody  sang  that  could  or  wanted 
to.  I  did  not  miss  the  instrumental  music.  The  preaching  was 
excellent.  I  only  wish  I  had  time  and  space  to  picture  it — 
it  was  about  doubting  Thomases,  full  of  illustrations.  How 
strange  it  is  that  the  preaching  that  draws  and  holds  people 
is  always  full  of  incidents  of  every-day  life,  woven  into  the 
sermon  for  illustration. 

In  the  morning  we  had  attended  service  at  the  City  Temple. 
The  pastor,  whom  you  all  know,  has  a  world-wide  reputation. 
Dr.   Parker  was   absent  and  Mr.   William   L.   Watkinson,   a 


36  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

Wesleyan  Methodist,  preached.  The  large  audience  was  so 
still  that  I  wondered.  Not  a  sound  except  an  occasional 
cough  caused  by  a  cold.  The  music  was  grand,  both  instru- 
mental and  vocal.  As  is  the  custom  here,  everybody  sits 
down  when  the  benediction  is  given.  A  little  box  with  a 
groove  in  it  is  passed  for  the  oflferings,  and  the  rattle  of  the 
coins  as  they  drop  in  is  like  the  patter  of  large  drops  of  rain 
on  a  roof.  We  visited  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  the  largest 
Protestant  church  in  the  world;  no  service  when  we  were 
present.  It  is  very  imposing,  stately,  stiff,  ecclesiastical  look- 
ing, full  of  statuary,  costly  windows,  enormous  stone  pillars. 
I  was  weary  and  in  one  of  the  seats  commenced  reading  a 
paper.  A  clerically  dressed  gentleman  came  along  and  said : 
"Against  the  regulations,  sir,  to  read  a  paper."  I  replied  with 
much  courtesy,  "Thank  you,  sir,"  putting  the  paper  in  my 
pocket. 

We  went  to  the  Kensington  Museum  and  in  the  Indian  de- 
partment saw  much  clever  work  in  models  of  houses.  We  saw 
also  many  old  tombs,  and  pillars  from  religious  temples,  some 
of  them  dating  back  hundreds  of  years.  How  eager  man 
seems  to  be  in  every  age,  to  erect  something  to  remind  other 
people  coming  after  him  of  his  presence.  We  saw  carved 
on  stone  their  manner  of  catching  wild  elephants  down  to 
the  second  century,  represented  by  tying  a  female  elephant  to 
a  tree,  which  calls  out  the  male  elephants.  Then  they  are 
represented  as  fighting,  and  Indians  tying  their  hind  legs  to 
a  tree  with  strong  ropes.  Aristotle,  long  before  Christ,  spoke 
of  this  manner  of  catching  wild  elephants  in  his  writings. 

We  went  into  a  Persian  room  and  saw  silk  woven  with 
threads  of  gold,  called  "Susura"  work.  The  Japanese  and 
Chinese  weave  differently.  We  saw  a  Persian  carpet,  the 
museum  having  just  paid  2500  pounds  sterling  for  it.  What 
harmony  in  the  weaving!  In  this  fine  weaving  it  is  said  the 
foreman  sits  in  the  center  singing  a  song.  Each  weaver  as  hi 
hears  the  song,  works  according  to  the  notes,  even  to  the  dip- 
ping of  his  yarn  into  the  different  dyes.  Their  language  has 
very  many  half  tones,  while  ours  has  but  few.    The  name,  "The 


OLD  SITE  OF   MEMPHIS 

(during  NILE  OVERFLOW) 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  37 

Holy  Carpet,"  indicated  that  this  one  was  woven  by  singing 
a  religious  song.  I  went  into  the  Chinese  gallery.  I  saw  one 
screen  costing  looo  pounds.  "Beauty,"  did  I  say?  "Yes,"  yet 
it  rather  seemed  to  be  a  dream  from  fairy  land.  I  went  into 
the  Japanese  gallery  and  I  saw  an  eagle  made  of  iron  which 
cost  1000  pounds.  An  American  iron  maker,  even  if  he  had 
skill,  would  fail  in  patience.  I  saw  an  incense  burner  made 
for  a  Japanese  temple,  so  elaborate  that  the  museum  authori- 
ties paid  1586  pounds  for  it.  Many  other  things  we  saw  in 
works  of  art  and  beauty.  Truly  one  half  of  the  world  knows 
but  little  of  what  the  other  half  is  doing. 

We  also  went  into  the  British  Museum.  We  saw  mummies 
as  old  as  Abraham ;  and  one  man  in  a  stone  coffin  who  lived 
on  the  earth  before  Abraham's  time.  We  were  much  inter- 
ested in  the  Rosetta  stone,  discovered  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Nile  in  1799,  and  through  its  discovery,  and  the  writing  on 
its  surface,  it  was  possible  to  read  the  language  on  Egyptian 
monuments  and  tombs.  This  stone  furnished  the  long  looked- 
for  key. 

There  were  old  parchments  of  Scripture  and  much  papyri, 
some  of  it  years  B.  C,  the  ink  looking  fresh  and  bright.  We 
also  went  into  the  Guildhall,  which  is  in  the  center  of  the 
old  city  where  great  titles  are  conferred.  We  are  quite  sure 
that  we  at  last  found  the  largest  book  in  the  world,  an  album 
six  feet  long,  three  and  one-half  feet  wide  and  about  eight 
inches  thick,  weighing  seven  hundred  pounds.  There  were 
brick  taken  from  the  palace  of  Nimrod,  large  carved  stones 
from  Nineveh,  dating  before  Jonah's  time. 

We  were  in  the  Tate  gallery  of  art.  Such  pictures !  It 
seemed  that  we  were  in  a  new  world,  and  never  saw  art  be- 
fore. Sir  Edwin  Landseer's  own  work  of  animals,  famous 
the  world  over  was  here — several  pictures.  Artists,  would 
that  I  were  one ! 

We  went  to  the  Tower  of  London.  Such  an  array  of  ar- 
mored Knights,  horses  and  kings!  Mute  and  motionless  they 
stand,  representing  how  some  of  our  forefathers  lived.  The 
use  of  guns  and  powder  rendered  all  this  work  useless.     We 


88  A  CALIFORNIAN    CrRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

saw  where  many  were  beheaded,  and  could  the  old  stones  in 
the  walls  talk,  what  strange,  weird  stories  they  could  tell, 
because  it  is  true  as  said,  "Truth  is  stranger  than  fiction." 

We  climbed  the  monument  burlt  in  memory  of  the  great 
fire  of  1666.  For  miles  and  miles  the  city  lay,  as  far  as 
our  eyes  could  see  either  way.  Up  from  the  depths  of  this 
great  city  below,  there  came  a  sound  as  of  waves  on  a  rocky 
shore.  A  mighty  city  where  it  is  said,  "one  dies  every  five 
minutes."  We  stood  on  London  Bridge  and  as  we  saw  the 
multitude  passing  and  repassing,  it  seemed  to  us  that  the 
procession  would  never  end — yet  it  began  centuries  before 
we  were  born. 

We  walked  into  Waterloo  Street  Station.  For  an  hour 
we  watched  a  continual  line  of  hansoms  driving  up  to  unload 
passengers  with  their  luggage,  who  were  about  to  take  an 
express  train  for  Southampton,  there  to  go  on  board  a  steamer 
bound  for  Africa.  There  were  at  times  a  dozen  hansoms 
busy  unloading  their  passengers  at  once.  Said  a  young  Eng- 
lishman standing  by  me,  "I  was  bom  and  raised  in  London, 
and  this  sight  is  as  new  to  me  as  to  you.  I  am  just  waiting 
for  my  passport  as  I  go  to  South  Africa."  It  was  a  rare  scene 
we  witnessed,  even  for  London.  Their  luggage  and  ways 
were  not  American.  One  evening  we  took  a  train  to  Syden- 
ham, where  the  Crystal  Palace  is.  In  front  of  the  palace 
was  to  be  a  fine  display  of  fireworks  in  honor  of  the  Shah 
of  Persia's  attendance.  I  never  saw  better  fireworks.  The 
immense  grounds  in  front  were  lighted  up  by  one-half  a 
million  gas  jets,  taking  one  hundred  miles  of  piping  to  place 
them  in  position.  We  found  many  thousands  of  people  and 
military  bands  playing.  These  many  gas  jets  were  of  many 
bright  colors,  the  electrical  fountains  illuminated  with  a 
variety  and  change  of  color.  Was  it  not  a  fairy  scene?  For 
an  hour  the  display  of  fireworks,  the  sending  up  of  balloons, 
the  rockets  of  many  colors,  the  set  pieces — among  them  was 
a  picture  of  the  Shah  of  Persia  and  another  the  coronation 
scene — automobiles  running  a  race,  and  many  others.  Will 
we  ever  forget  the  scene? 


•     LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  39 

We  visited  the  houses  of  Parliament  and  saw  much  gold 
and  glitter.  Many  costly  pictures  were  there  representing 
great  men  and  deeds,  all  in  English  history.  The  House  of 
Lords — the  gilded  chamber,  it  is  called — with  the  throne  for 
the  King  to  sit  on  when  he  opens  Parliament,  the  frescoes, 
richly  stained  windows,  highly  decorated  walls  and  ceiling, 
could  we  but  feel  out  of  place? 

The  House  of  Commons,  a  little  larger  and  as  imposing 
in  appearance,  did  it  excite  our  admiration?  No,  we  are 
plainer  people.  On  each  side  of  the  houses  are  lobbies,  and  be- 
tween the  two,  at  the  end  of  the  lobbies,  is  Central  Hall, 
octagonal  in  shape,  and  it  has  a  very  rich  Mosaic  pavement. 
It  is  also  wonderfully  adorned  with  decorations,  frescoes  and 
statuary.  As  we  walked  out,  "Big  Ben,"  a  bell  in  the  clock 
tower,  pealed  forth  in  sonorous  tones  the  time  of  day;  a 
bell  that  in  the  night  time,  when  the  city  is  a  little  quiet, 
is  heard  over  a  large  part  of  London.  We  walked  to  Buck- 
ingham Palace.  At  the  gates  sentinels  in  rich  uniform  were 
pacing  to  and  fro.  It  is  not  a  very  nice  looking  palace  in 
front.  We  rode  one  day  out  to  Greenwich,  and  walked  or 
sat  under  the  trees  in  Greenwich  Park.  Chestnut  trees,  the 
largest  seven  feet  in  diameter,  large  elms,  oaks,  mountain  ash 
covered  with  red  berries,  and  thorn  trees,  resembling  in  leaf 
and  color,  only  not  so  large,  the  fine  leafed  oak  of  California. 
Wc  were  155  feet  above  sea  level  and  could  look  for  miles 
down  the  Thames,  with  ship  docks  and  warehouses  as  far 
as  we  could  see.  A  herd  of  deer  were  quietly  grazing  by  our 
side.  Green  grass,  with  wild  flowers  peeping  out  of  the 
grass,  with  many  cultivated  flowers  about  the  yards  and  in 
the  park,  with  weather  like  that  of  Redlands  in  the  winter — 
was  it  not  enjoyable? 

We  hunted  up  the  little  old  crooked  street  that  Charles 
Dickens  wrote  about,  where  Old  Curiosity  Shop  is  located, 
built  300  years  ago;  on  through  Billingsgate  fish  market,  won- 
dering where  all  the  fish  came  from ;  went  to  the  house  where 
John  Wesley  lived  and  died.  We  were  in  his  study.  The 
bookcase  he  used  is  there,  about  seven  feet  wide,  with  glass 


40  A  CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

doors  at  the  top  and  secretary  style  at  the  bottom.  His  con- 
ference chair  and  study  chair  sit  there.  His  library  is  not 
there;  it  is  in  Bristol,  Kingwood  and  Richmond.  We  also 
saw  one  little  tiny  lock  of  his  hair  and  the  old  collection 
plates  used  in  the  old  chapel.  We  were  in  the  bedroom  where 
he  died.  A  painting  on  the  wall  representing  the  death  scene 
is  untrue.  There  were  but  eight  present  when  he  died.  We 
saw  his  bureau  with  the  secret  drawer;  the  old  eight  day 
clock,  built  in  the  time  of  Wesley,  by  a  refugee  from  the  con- 
tinent, running  when  Wesley  died  iii  years  ago,  and  still 
running,  ticking  the  time  away.  We  heard  it  strike  three 
o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  August  26th.  There  is  nobody 
living  that  ever  saw  John  Wesley,  or  that  ever  heard  him 
preach.  Yet,  could  this  old  clock  talk,  it  would  say,  "I  saw 
and  heard  him  and  my  ticking  is  just  the  same  today."  We 
saw  his  pen  and  the  penholder  he  wrote  with  and  many  of 
his  old  letters.  He  had  a  little  room  just  back  of  his  bed- 
room, which  he  used  for  secret  prayer.  We  went  into  this 
room. 

Just  back  of  the  church  he  is  buried,  and  by  his  side  lies 
Adam  Clark.  His  ancestry  can  be  traced  back  to  the  tenth 
century.  There  is  only  one  living  descendant  by  the  name 
of  Wesley,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Theistic  church.  We  went 
into  the  church  and  saw  the  pulpit  Wesley  used,  which  is  still 
in  use,  though  it  has  been  cut  down  about  one-half.  There 
are  new  pews  and  a  new  floor.  The  pillars  supporting  the 
gallery  are  new  and  cost  one  hundred  pounds  each.  They 
are  of  marble  and  were  donated  by  different  countries.  The 
keyboard  of  the  organ  is  on  the  floor  in  front  of  the  pulpit, 
while  the  organ  is  in  the  gallery  in  two  parts,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  church,  fully  fifty  feet  from  the  organist. 

Just  across  the  road  from  Wesley's  church  and  house  is 
the  Bunnehill  cemetery.  A  curious  sign  at  the  entrance  reads 
thus :  "Reserved  as  a  place  of  recreation  for  the  public." 
Over  two  hundred  years  ago,  at  the  time  of  the  great  plague  in 
London,  the  victims  were  buried  in  this  ground. 
Almost  all  the  land  and  houses  in  England  and  Scotland 


WESLEY -S  (.KAVK 
CITY   KOAD   CHAPEL,    LONDON 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  41 

are  under  what  is  called  the  "feu"  system.  The  titled  men 
usually  own  all  the  land  in  great  estates  and  the  farms  and 
ground  for  the  houses  are  rented  out  on  an  average  of 
about  three  pounds  an  acre.  However,  leases  in  Scotland 
are  perpetual,  while  in  England  the  usual  time  is  99  years. 
For  this  reason  farm  improvements  are  usually  better  in 
Scotland. 

Everybody  is  polite  and  say  "thank  you,"  with  a  rising 
inflection  to  everything  you  do.  There  is  a  heavy  fine  in 
London  for  "hollering"  on  the  streets,  so  all  the  newsboys 
and  men  selling  papers  have  a  large  placard  fastened  in  front 
of  them,  noting  the  principal  news,  the  headings  and  other 
leading  features.    And  all  are  quiet. 

The  radius  of  free  delivery  is  ten  miles  from  the  general 
post  office.    Think  of  it,  twenty  miles  across  the  city  each  way. 

We  have  not  seen  an  American  pie  in  all  the  British  Isles. 
I  believe  that  if  some  American  lady  would  commence  mak- 
ing them  in  London  she  could  make  millions  of  dollars,  as 
well  as  of  pies. 

You  are  expected  in  Europe  to  get  your  breakfast  at  the 
hotel.  In  sitting  down  to  the  table,  we  have  a  small  plate 
for  bread  and  butter,  and  there  is  one  dessert  spoon,  four 
knives  and  three  forks  to  each  sitting.  You  have  porridge 
first,  if  you  want  it,  then  either  of  four  kinds  of  fish,  then 
bacon  or  ham  and  eggs  or  roast  beef  if  you  prefer.  No  po- 
tatoes, plenty  of  bread  and  butter,  tea  or  coffee  and  lots  of 
style.  If  your  bill  is  not  paid  while  eating  the  waiter  will 
put  it  under  a  little  plate. 

We  have  booked  a  passage  of  nearly  4000  miles  of  travel 
on  the  European  continent,  intending  to  visit  all  the  capitals. 
The  passage  cost  us  eleven  pounds,  nineteen  shillings  and  six- 
pence each,  about  one  and  one-half  cents  a  mile.  We  leave 
England  and  Scotland  with  regret.  We  like  the  people  and 
many  of  their  ways.  This  Saturday  morning  we  have  our 
luggage  ready,  are  taken  by  an  omnibus  to  the  Victoria  sta- 
tion. 

As    our   train    started,    I    caught    sight   of   the    Prince    of 


42  A  CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING  THE   GLOBE. 

Wales'  train  standing  at  the  station.  At  times  in  leaving  the 
city  the  grade  was  so  high  that  we  were  even  with  the  roofs 
of  the  houses ;  and  then  again  we  were  in  tunnels  under  the 
streets.  As  we  emerged  from  the  city  we  were  again  charmed 
with  English  scenery. 

At  the  station  of  Purly,  we  saw  whole  rows  of  new 
houses  and  many  English  oaks.  Wild  blackberries  were  get- 
ting ripe  and  we  envied  the  chance  of  picking  them.  As  we 
neared  the  coast  the  trees  became  scarce  and  there  were  long, 
hilly  slopes  of  country,  mostly  grazing  land,  covered  with  a 
mantle  of  green.  Winding  in  and  about  them  we  ran  along 
a  wharf  and  walked  across  the  pier  to  a  steamer. 

We  were  in  Newhaven,  just  a  little  hamlet,  yet  the  little 
harbor  was  protected  by  a  stone  breakwater.  On  a  hill  facing 
the  ocean  we  saw  cannon  mounted,  and  troops  stationed,  all 
ready  to  defend  any  invasion.  Our  train  was  a  long  one  and 
several  hundred  passengers  from  it  crowded  on  to  the  steamer. 
Nearly  all  of  them  were  French  or  Dutch,  not  many  speaking 
our  language.  All  were  extremely  well  dressed.  Truly  we 
were  getting  away  from  England  and  English  speaking  peo- 
ple. 

The  sea  was  calm,  the  wind  light,  and  somber  gray  clouds 
overhung  sea  and  land. 

The  first  and  second  class  passengers  were  divided  like  the 
sheep  and  the  goats.  Nobody  wanted  to  stay  in  the  stuffy 
saloons,  therefore  nearly  all  were  on  deck.  And  as  there 
were  not  scats  enough,  many  had  to  stand.  A  few  square- 
rigged  sailing  vessels  and  two  steamers  were  all  we  saw  in 
crossing. 

We  arrived  at  Dieppe,  passing  a  few  fishing  sloops, 
a  yacht  and  several  small  steamers  as  we  came  into  our 
slip  or  pier,  almost  facing  the  ocean.  What  a  change  from 
sober,  staid  old  England!  Hundreds  of  boys,  men,  women 
and  girls  were  on  the  wharf,  dressed  in  all  sorts  of  costumes. 
Some  wore  hats  and  all  were  wildly  gesticulating.  Surely 
this  is  "La  Belle  France." 

Dieppe  is  a  city  of  considerable  size.     We  were   ushered 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  43 

into  a  large  room  on  the  wharf,  where  our  baggage  was  ex- 
amined by  military-looking  custom  house  officers.  We  soon 
had  ours  chalk-marked  and  passed  directly  from  the  wharf 
into  a  train  of  cars  standing  on  the  street,  waiting  for  us. 
The  excitable  French  people  were  roped  off  and  the  other  side 
of  the  vestibuled  corridor  train  was  locked.  We  entered 
the  cars  and  heard  everybody  speaking  French.  Then  we  be- 
gan to  realize  what  it  is  to  be  in  a  foreign  country.  Soon 
the  train  started  for  Paris.  There  was  not  room  for  all  the 
passengers  to  sit,  and  many  were  compelled  to  stand  in  the 
corridors.  The  train  started  slowly  at  first,  up  a  street,  the 
people  waving  their  hats,  and  some  shouting  "au  revoir." 

The  French  locomotive  is  very  unlike  an  English  one.  It 
whistled  loud  and  often  over  the  entire  way  to  Paris.  Soon 
we  were  passing  along  between  silver  birch  trees,  and  by  the 
side  of  green  meadows.  We  saw  many  apple  trees,  doubt- 
less the  Normandy  pippin.  The  churches  we  saw  all  seemed 
to  be  Catholic,  and  the  cemeteries  about  them  had  more  iron 
crosses  and  more  ornamental  iron  work  than  tombstones. 
The  land  was  quite  hilly  near  the  coast,  though  there  were 
many  trees,  with  many  nice  looking  homes  nestled  among 
them.  Some  were  of  brick,  with  tiled  roofs,  older  ones  of 
stone,  with  thatched  roofs.  All  the  land  was  under  culti- 
vation. 

Full  of  romance,  interwoven  into  its  history,  is  this  part  of 
Normandy.  We  reached  Rouen,  a  city  of  nearly  400,000  peo- 
ple, forty  miles  from  Dieppe.  As  our  train  wound  along 
on  the  hillside  we  had  a  good  view  of  the  city.  We  could 
easily  locate  the  cathedrals.  On  a  board  in  the  station  were 
posted  letters  and  telegrams  for  unknown  persons. 

Leaving  Rouen,  there  are  large  areas  of  land  used  for 
gardening.  How  neat  they  looked,  men  and  women  working 
in  them,  yet  at  this  time  the  sun  was  setting,  partially  ob- 
scured by  clouds.  On  we  sped,  reaching  Vernon  in  another 
forty  miles,  beautifully  situated  on  the  Seine.  We  were  now 
in  a  flat,  open  country,  given  over  to  farming,  with  some 
manufactories  about  the  towns.    The  lingering  twilight  lighted 


44  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

up  the  hovel  of  the  poor  peasant,  as  well  as  the  elegant 
chateau  of  the  rich.  It  gilded  them  alike  in  colors  more 
lovely  than  any  artist  can  paint;  the  moving  train,  the  grace- 
ful birch  and  elm  trees,  the  fields  of  corn  (oats)  being  har- 
vested, the  cattle  grazing  in  the  small  pastures",  the  hay  gath- 
ered into  small,  pointed  stacks,  the  birds  hunting  for  their 
homes  at  night ;  and  as  the  train  ambled  along  our  eyes  caught 
glimpses  of  the  silvery  Seine,  the  ever-pleasing  green  of  the 
meadows  and  the  bright  gleam  of  wild  flowers  from  field 
and  dale.     Was  it  not  a  scene  to  enrapture  one? 

From  here  to  Paris  the  shades  of  night  cut  off  our  view. 
We  arrived  in  the  Paris  station  at  8:15  p.  m.,  and  struggled 
along  in  the  crowd  through  the  station.  We  called  a  "Vic- 
toria," when  a  man  grabbed  Elmer's  satchel  and  persistently 
kept  it.  He  could  talk  English ;  said  it  was  best  to  get  a  cab 
on  the  street  outside,  got  one,  and  as  the  cab  drove  up  we 
got  in.  I  gave  him  a  few  centimes,  and  he  said  he  was  "ye 
interpreter,"  so  I  gave  him  half  a  franc.  Our  cab  driver  had 
been  directed  to  drive  us  to  Hotel  St.  Romaine,  and  we  soon 
arrived  there.  We  had  two  francs  sorted  out  for  the  cab 
fare  and  twenty  centimes  as  the  driver's  fee.  I  ran  into  the 
hotel,  telling  Elmer  to  keep  the  cab.  I  rang  the  bell  and  a 
chamber  maid  came  running  as  I  walked  up  the  stairs.  I 
wanted  rooms,  holding  up  two  fingers.  "Je  Madame,"  I 
said,  "two  Messiurs."  She  talked  away  in  French,  and  see- 
ing that  I  did  not  understand,  motioned  me  down  stairs,  and 
at  another  entrance  called  a  waiter  who  could  talk  English 
a  little,  and  we  hired  two  rooms.  Motioning  to  Elmer,  he 
paid  the  cabman,  who  demurred  and  wanted  one-half  franc 
more.  A  policeman  came  along  and  made  him  move  off. 
We  had  paid  the  regular  fare  and  the  usual  fee  to  the  driver. 
We  were  in  Paris. 

We  walked  out  on  the  boulevards;  the  cafes  have  a  line  of 
tables  and  chairs  on  the  sidewalks.  Hundreds  of  people  sat 
at  these  tables  in  the  open  air,  sipping  all  sorts  of  drinks. 
Summer  evenings,  a  good  part  of  Paris  is  out  of  doors,  whole 


LONDON,  PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  45 

families  sitting  on  the  sidewalks.    This  picture  we  saw  at  lo 
p.  m.  the  evening  of  our  arrival. 

Sunday  morning  we  started  out  to  find  some  church.  We 
found  that  we  were  only  a  little  ways  from  the  Tuilleries 
and  their  gardens,  just  about  in  the  center  of  the  city.  We 
could  find  no  Protestant  church,  so  we  enquired  for  the  largest 
Catholic  one.  We  called  it  "Notre  Dame."  Nobody  seemed 
to  know  it  by  that  name,  but  called  it  as  we  would  to  leave 
off  the  "e"  on  the  last  word.  We  found  the  cathedral.  A  beg- 
gar sat  at  the  door;  just  inside  a  nun  stood  holding  a  collec- 
tion plate.  A  little  farther  along  a  sinister-looking  monk 
sat  behind  a  little  desk  on  a  raised  platform  with  a  variety  of 
coins  on  a  plate.  As  I  went  by  he  pushed  the  plate  towards 
me,  with  an  appealing  look.  I  walked  along.  Services  were 
in  progress.  We  soon  discovered  that  everybody  paid  to  get 
in.  A  temporary  light  fence  was  set  up  with  a  narrow 
entrance.  A  boy  stood  on  one  side  and  a  nun  on  the  other. 
It  was  amusing  to  see  strangers  go  in  and  the  boy  or  nun 
would  speak  to  them.  No  one  passed  those  portals  to  take 
part  in  the  worship  without  paying.  However,  there  was  a 
wide  walk  all  the  way  around  the  services,  behind  the  mon- 
strous pillars,  and  nobody  to  ask  pay.  We  walked  around. 
In  one  open  space  behind  the  services  and  leading  to  them, 
a  man  dressed  in  a  showy  uniform  stood  and  with  a  cane 
motioned  back  any  one  passing.  There  were  more  people 
walking  around  than  went  in  to  the  services.  Many  of  them 
stopped  at  the  different  shrines  and  bowed  low  in  worship. 
The  stained  glass,  the  statuary,  and  the  size  of  the  cathedral 
are  on  a  grand  scale. 

As  we  walked  back  to  the  hotel,  stores,  cafes,  building 
trades,  street  work — everything  was  in  fulll  swing;  no  regard 
for  Sunday;  well  dressed,  gay,  vivacious,  light-hearted  and 
merry  all  seemed  to  be.  Sunday  afternoon,  as  we  could  look 
over  in  the  Rue  Tivoli  from  our  windows,  we  saw  passing 
each  way  great  crowds  of  people  with  cabs  and  automobiles, 
even  in  the  rain,  as  all  Paris  makes  Sunday  afternoon  one 
grand  holiday. 


46  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

Monday  morning  we  went  over  to  Versailles  on  the  cars. 
It  is  about  twelve  miles  southeast  of  Paris.  The  weather  was 
very  fine — a  bright,  cool  September  day.  The  train  circled  a 
range  of  hills  most  of  the  way;  plenty  of  trees,  shrubbery  and 
flowers,  and  new  houses.  Brick  is  used  in  building  and  red 
tile  for  the  roofs.  There  are  iron  balconies  in  front  of  many 
of  the  buildings.  Everywhere  in  Paris,  if  not  an  iron  balcony 
in  front,  then  an  iron  railing  crosses  each  window.  The  win- 
dows are  hung  on  a  pair  of  hinges  like  double  doors,  and  each 
window  is  covered  with  a  lace  curtain.  The  people  open  these 
windows,  sew,  read  and  sit  in  or  by  them.  There  are  out- 
side blinds,  usually  open,  only  closed  when  it  storms.  This 
description  applies  to  nearly  all  of  Paris,  except  the  public 
buildings  and  now  and  then  a  larger  block.  The  whole  of 
Paris  is  composed  of  buildings  from  six  to  seven  stories  high, 
quite  uniform  in  appearance,  with  usually  a  sloping  roof, 
partially  Mansard  in  style.  I  think  there  is  a  law  compelling 
owners  to  paint  every  ten  years,  therefore  the  city  has  a 
bright,  neat  appearance  in  keeping  with  the  looks  of  the 
people. 

We  saw  many  locust  trees  in  the  yards  on  our  way  to  Ver- 
sailles. The  drives,  the  fountains  when  playing,  the  artificial 
lakes,  the  shaded  walks  ,with  statuary  in  many  places — as  we 
walked  about  the  immense  palace  grounds  at  Versailles — were 
a  surprise  to  us.  We  were  disappointed  that  the  palace  was 
closed  as  we  wanted  to  see  the  Hall  of  Mirrors,  where  the 
King  of  Prussia  was  crowned  Emperor  of  Germany  in  Janu- 
ary, 1871. 

We  returned  to  Paris  in  the  afternoon.  We  visited  the 
Eiflfel  tower  and  ascended  by  elevator  to  the  top.  There  had 
been  a  sharp  shower  of  rain,  clearing  the  smoke  away,  and 
the  clouds  also.  We  were  about  1000  feet  high.  The  sun  was 
shining  brightly,  and  just  late  enough  in  the  afternoon  to  catch 
nearly  every  building.  What  a  view !  A  city  of  about  three 
millions  of  people,  said  to  be  "the  finest  looking  city  in  the 
world,"  was  spread  out  before  us.  The  rays  of  this  sparkling 
sunshine  lighted   up   spire,   tower,   dome,   monuments,   parks, 


--«. 


OLDEST  PYRAMID  IN  EGYPT 

NEAR    MEMPHIS 


I 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  47 

boulevards  lined  with  trees,  Napoleon's  tomb  richly  gilded, 
old  cathedrals,  statuary,  government  barracks  with  troops 
drilling,  square  miles  of  buildings  where  streets  are  too  nar- 
row even  at  this  eagle's  height  to  see,  triumphal  arches — one 
of  them  the  largest  in  the  world,  and  on  the  only  elevation 
in  Paris — broad,  spacious  avenues,  twelve  of  them  diverging 
from  one  point,  and  winding  in  and  through  them  all,  just 
like  a  ribbon  of  blue  spanned  by  thirty  curved  bridges  is  the 
river  Seine.  Many  pleasure  steamers,  laden  with  passengers, 
steaming  along,  nothing  like  it  in  all  the  world!  Six  great 
railways  come  into  Paris,  and  we  could  trace  their  trains 
and  locate  their  magnificent  stations  in  different  sections  of 
the  city.  Many  times  we  walked  around  the  top  of  Eiffel 
tower.  I  have  been  to  the  top  of  Washington  monument 
and  those  of  you  who  have  seen  that  tall  marble  column,  a 
landmark  all  over  Washington,  can  imagine  a  little  of  our 
elevation,  as  we  were  nearly  twice  as  high.  Reluctantly  we 
came  down  to  earth  again.  As  we  left,  the  smoke  and  haze  of 
a  great  city  was  gathering. 

The  veil  had  been  lifted  by  the  sharp  shower  of  rain.  Never 
will  we  catch  such  a  view  and  of  such  a  city  again. 

We  left  Paris  in  the  morning.  While  eating  breakfast  the 
hotel  proprietor  called  a  Victoria.  As  we  paid  our  bill,  a 
stamp  of  ten  centimes  was  added  for  us  to  pay  for.  (In  Lon- 
don all  bills  over  two  pounds  have  to  be  stamped.)  The  pro- 
prietor had  the  waiter  and  porter  for  us  to  fee  as  we  started 
off,  which  we  did. 

Our  cabman  drove  us  rapidly  to  the  Nord  Station,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  city.  We  gave  him  his  fee  in  addition 
to  the  cab  fare.  There  are  many  soldiers  to  be  seen  on  the 
.streets  of  Paris.  Our  train  was  ready  for  Brussels.  We 
showed  our  tickets  to  the  gate-keeper,  also  to  two  guards  in- 
side, and  they  directed  us  to  our  car.  The  train  was  an  ele- 
gant one,  the  best  we  had  seen  anywhere.  The  wide,  uphol- 
stered seats  were  marked  three  places  and  we  found  a  com- 
partment with  only  four  in  and  took  the  other  two.  All  the 
passengers  were  talking,  but  none  in  our  language.     As  our 


48  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE  GLOBE. 

train  was  leaving  the  city  many  other  trains  were  coming  in. 

A  uniformed  trainman  came  in,  counting  the  passengers  and 

another  behind  talking  in  French  to  all  of  us. 

We  passed  rapidly  out  of  the  city,  as  these  through  express 
trains  make  excellent  time.  Both  sides  of  Vichy  we  saw  miles 
and   miles   of  gardens.     No  hedges  and   scarcely  any  trees. 

What  trees  there  were  are  planted  on  the  sides  of  the  nar- 
row roads,  and  trimmed  for  many  feet  upwards.  In  looking 
sideways  across  the  country  and  under  these  trees  it  seemed 
like  looking  on  a  mirage.  The  peasants,  both  men  and  women, 
were  working  in  the  fields.  Every  inch  of  ground  was  culti- 
vated, yet  such  little  patches  of  a  kind  in  one  place.  Then 
came  forests  of  small  trees,  all  in  full  leaf,  then  stretches  of 

farming  lands,  then  a  forest  of  larger  trees ;  then  came  the 
collector  of  tickets.  Taking  Elmer's  ticket  he  looked  at  it, 
then  commenced  talking  to  him  in  an  excited  way.  Elmer 
said,  using  a  California  Spanish  phrase,  "Quien  Sabe."     Still 

he  talked.  Finally  he  wrote  something  on  it  commencing 
"Voyageur"  and  took  my  ticket,  writing  the  same.  I  showed 
it  to  a  man  sitting  beside  me,  and  he  laughed  and  told  a  lady 
and  she  laughed  and  looked  ?t  us;  evidently  there  was  trou- 
ble of  some  sort.  Soon  we  saw  by  the  stations  that,  while  we 
were  going  to  Brussels,  we  were  not  on  the  route  our  tickets 
read. 

We  saw  so  many  tiny  little  fields  over  such  large  stretches 
of  country.  We  passed  by  the  side  of  a  canal.  The  boats 
were  all  brown,  trimmed  with  white.  There  were  hundreds 
of  them,  in  some  places  the  whole  width  of  the  canal,  five 
abreast.     The  peasants  were  reaping  grain  by  hand.     I  saw 

a  thresher  in  a  field  at  work.  Our  first  stop  at  10:15  was 
at  St.  Goneoten.  We  saw  by  our  tickets  we  should  have  been 
at  Amiens,  many  miles  to  the  left.  I  saw  the  peasants  using 
oxen,  two  yokes   of  them  in  one  team.     No   fences ;   cattle 

herded;  a  very  fine  farming  country;  soil  of  light  color. 
About  II  o'clock  the  country  looked  entirely  different;  hedges, 
apple  trees,  more  forest,  lines  of  trees  at  regular  spaces,  look- 
ing in  color  like  olive  trees.    Villages  built  of  brick;  all  new 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  49 

houses  have  bright  tile  roofs,  and  the  farmers  live  in  the 
villages.    At  a  little  after  ii  o'clock  we  came  to  the  frontier. 

Everybody  unlocked  and  opened  their  satchels.  We  did  ours. 
The  custom  house  inspector  looked  at  them  and  passed  along. 
The  collector  came  and  carried  our  tickets  away.  We  saw  all 
the  officials  of  the  station  in  a  bunch  talking  about  our  tickets, 
with  their  hands  flying  and  much  excited.  Then  they  came, 
talking  vociferously  all  the  time,  and  wanted  us  to  pay  our 
fare  to  Mons,  one  franc  each.  We  paid  it,  wondering  what 
they  would  do  with  us  there.    They  still  kept  the  tickets.    We 

were  in  Belgium.  The  train  ran  swiftly  along.  At  Mons  all 
the  officials  of  the  station  again  gathered  about  our  tickets 
and    were   much   excited.     They   called   us   out   of   the   car, 

talking  to  us  all  the  time.  We  could  not  understand  a  word, 
but  finding  a  man  that  could  talk  a  little  English,  we  told 
him  to  tell  them  that  "we  showed  our  tickets  to  three  offi- 
cials in  Paris  and  they  directed  us  to  take  this  train."  They 
allowed  us  to  enter  and  the  train  moved  on.  We  passed 
through  a  growing  forest  of  small  trees.  It  had  been  trimmed 
up  and  thinned  out.  Every  limb  as  large  as  a  lead  pencil 
was  corded  up  for  wood.  What  saving  thrift !  Americans 
know  not  the  meaning  of  the  word. 

We  ran  into  Brussels.  Nearly  all  of  the  buildings  are  built 
of  brick.  The  conductor  carried  our  tickets  to  the  head  official 
of  the  station.  He  very  politely  returned  them  to  us,  tearing 
out  the  ride  to  Brussels,  and  we  passed  out  of  the  gate.  We 
had  ridden  to  Brussels  over  an  entirely  different  route  than 
our  tickets  called  for.  We  went  to  our  banker  and  changed 
twenty  dollars.     We  got  three  kinds  of  money.     French  is 

used  in  Belgium,  but  we  had  to  have  money  for  Holland  and 
Germany.  There  are  so  many  names  that  we  got  a  book  to 
tell  us  what  the  values  of  different  kinds  were,  and  tried  to 
k^ep  them  in  separate  pockets.  Yet,  as  we  purchased  any- 
thing, we  would  still  get  for  change  pieces  we  had  not  seen. 
Those  we  put  in  our  vest  pockets  until  we  could  consult  the 
book. 
Brussels  is  a  very  interesting  city.    We  saw  dogs  hitched 


so  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

to  carts,  usually  hitched  under,  and  they  would  pull  as  the 
man  or  woman  pushed.  When  standing  still  the  dog  would 
lie  down  in  his  harness,  under  the  cart.  I  saw  a  hearse  all 
encircled  with  wreaths  of  beautiful  flowers,  waiting  in  the 
street.  The  house  door  opened.  The  entrance  was  full  of 
men  and  women  dressed  in  black,  all  wearing  that  soft,  sub- 
dued, far-away  look  that  is  always  seen  at  a  funeral.  Not 
long  after  we  saw  a  wedding  party  in  carriages,  all  dressed 
in  faultless  attire,  wearing  that  bright,  bouyant,  hopeful  look 
usually  seen  on  such  occasions.  Are  not  such  pictures  seen  in 
our  California?  Is  not  human  nature  the  same  everywhere? 
Our  surroundings  from  birth,  education,  training  and  tem- 
perament make  us  seem,  and  we  are,  different,  yet  there  is 
a  depth  in  the  human  heart  that  is  "akin"  to  all  the  world. 

We  visited  the  town  hall  in  Brussels.  The  council  cham- 
ber, with  its  rich  tapestry,  paintings,  its  large  mirrors  and 
the  paneled  wood  work,  was  a  revelation.  The  different 
rooms,  with  pictures  as  real  as  life,  fresco  painting,  inlaid 
floors  of  oak  and  figures  in  alabaster  of  exquisite  beauty. 
The  banqueting  hall,  with  its  elaborate  chandeliers  and  its 
paintings  were  so  real  that  it  seemed  real  life  was  in  them. 
It  all  seemed  to  us  like  some  fabled  dream.  In  the  picture 
galleries  we  admired  the  paintings  more  than  any  we  saw  in 
London.  The  color,  life  and  animation  of  these  pictures  were 
more  than  real  to  us.  Our  very  souls  were  touched,  and  we 
drank  long  draughts  of  their  exquisite  coloring  and  beauty 
As  we  ate  our  breakfast  at  the  hotel,  we  admired  the  dining 
room.  It  had  large  windows  of  stained  glass,  with  the  trac- 
ing of  flowers  and  leaves  almost  as  true  as  nature. 

As  we  came  into  Antwerp  we  passed  a  line  of  earth  forti- 
fications and  saw  many  soldiers  working  on  them.  There 
was  mound,  moat,  some  masonry,  which  probably  concealed 
cannon.  The  earthworks  were  in  all  shapes  and  looked  like 
they  were  preparing  passages  and  concealing  mines  under- 
ground. We  saw  the  same  in  passing  out  of  Antwerp,  as 
our  train  circled  the  city  just  outside  of  the  fortifications. 
The   entire   city   is   being   strongly   fortified.     Antwerp,    like 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  51 

Brussels  and  all  these  Dutch  towns,  is  built  of  brown  brick, 
which  is  pleasing  to  the  eye,  as  there,  is  color  in  the  trim- 
mings. 

I  saw  women  digging  potatoes  in  the  fields.  Just  before 
passing  out  of  Antwerp  I  saw  one  man  standing  on  a  log 
sawing  it  through  lengthwise.  There  are  surprises  at  every 
turn  in  the  scenery.  One  knows  not  what  to  expect.  We 
soon  came  to  miles  and  miles  of  pine  forest,  planted,  seem- 
ingly, as  thick  as  it  could  grow.  None  of  it  large,  all  sizes, 
the  largest  is  twenty  feet  high.  At  Esschen  there  were  bush 
hedges  and  again  farming  and  forest.  Now  and  then  large 
stretches  of  shrub  in  full  bloom,  of  a  reddish  purple.  I  think 
it  was  like  the  heath  seen  in  Scotland.  Even  among  the  pine 
trees  planted  in  places  this  flower  blooms,  cropping  out  like  red 
velvet  woven  in  among  the  green  trees,  and  thus  creat- 
ing a  horoscope  of  beauty  unequalled  in  any  land  or  clime. 
Our  train  stopped  at  Rosendaal.  Just  then  a  sharp  shower 
of  rain,  not  over  two  minutes'  duration,  I  heard  Elmer 
say,  "Those  are  the  largest  rain  drops  I  ever  saw."  For  a 
moment  they  were. 

Then  came  the  custom  house  officers  again.  We  were  in 
Holland.  Once  more  our  luggage  was  passed  over  another 
frontier.  As  we  left  the  station  there  were  pastures  as  far 
as  our  eyes  could  reach,  and  much  water  alongside  the  rail- 
road. The  cattle  looked  sleek  and  fat.  Around  every  farm 
house  everything  was  picked  up  and  looked  scrupulously 
clean.  I  began  to  think  every  day  was  washday,  as  there  seems 
to  be  large  washings  hung  on  the  hedges  or  spread  on  the 
garden  grass  each  day  of  our  travels.  We  saw  men  plow- 
ing in  the  fields,  one  handle  to  the  plow,  straight  beam,  and 
with  either  a  roller  or  a  cutter  on  the  forward  end  of  the 
beam.  Plowing  the  little  patches  was  in  progress  everywhere. 
I  think  they  were  sowing  winter  wheat.  We  crossed  arms 
of  the  sea  on  long  bridges,  with  steamers,  canal  boats  and 
some  ships  in  view. 

Our  train  came  into  Rotterdam.  There  are  two  large  sta- 
tions.    We  concluded  to  go  to  the  farther  one,  which  was  a 


52  A  CALIFORNrAN    CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

mistake,  as  the  sequel  proved.  Rotterdam  is  one  of  the  most 
romantic  old  cities  in  the  world.  It  is  as  large  as  San  Fran- 
cisco and  there  are  arms  of  the  sea  and  canals  at  every 
turn  you  take.  Boats,  steamers,  ships,  yachts  and  tugs  are 
all  painted  brown,  trimmed  with  white,  and  such  quantities 
are  lying  all  about  the  city.  Canal  boats,  hundreds  of  them, 
each  having  one  mast  about  forty  feet  high.  The  quays  are 
covered  with  merchandise.  Great  bundles  of  wooden  shoes, 
such  as  many  men  and  women  in  the  country  wear.  Most 
of  the  traffic  is  carried  on  in  strong  baskets,  particularly  fruit, 
vegetables  and  all  small  kinds  of  goods  that  would  be  boxed 
in  America.  In  all  the  countries  we  have  traveled  so  far  in 
Europe  there  are  loads  of  baskets  in  place  of  our  boxes. 

We  secured  rooms  at  the  Victoria  hotel.  How  wonderfully 
common  old  furniture  is.  Here  was  mahogany  furniture  that 
you  would  call  a  treasure.  Tapestry  on  the  bed-room 
walls,  decorations  in  the  favorite  Dutch  colors,  from  brown 
to  red  in  all  shades.  Our  room  faced  the  west,  yet  as  far 
as  we  could  see  were  tops  of  buildings  and  streets,  with  a 
glimpse  of  tree  and  meadow  in  the  distance.  We  get  ac- 
quainted with  single  individuals  from  these  European  coun- 
tries in  America  and  form  our  opinions  of  this  country  on 
that  acquaintance,  or  perhaps  on  something  we  may  read  in 
connection.  It  cannot  be  done.  One  must  see  these  coun- 
tries and  catch  a  glimpse  of  their  life,  progress  and  customs. 
We  are  surprised  at  every  turn  we  take  in  these  cities.  The 
throngs  of  well  dressed  people,  their  every-day  politeness,  their 
polished,  finish  of  manner  and  evident  progress  in  all  the  af- 
fairs of  life.  How  neat  these  Dutch  people  seem  to  be !  In 
Brussels  one  morning  I  saw  a  maid  cleaning  the  sidewalk 
with  a  cloth  and  a  bucket  of  water.  She  would  drag  the 
cloth  along  the  walk,  then  wring  it  out  and  repeat  the  pro- 
cess, walking  backwards.  Of  course  she  got  every  particle  of 
dirt.  She  used  her  hands.  Here  in  Rotterdam  I  saw  them 
cleaning  hallways  and  steps  just  the  same  way.  Dogs  hitched 
to  carts  are  as  common  here  as  in  Brussels.  Patient  crea- 
tures, how  industrious  they  are !     Some  of  the  canals  have 


LONDON,  PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  53 

grassy,  sloping  banks,  little  circles  of  flowers  and  rustic- 
looking  bridges,  gems  of  beauty.  There  are  no  flies.  We 
have  seen  none  worth  mentioning  since  we  landed  in  Europe. 
Everybody  leaves  their  windows  wide  open,  and  no  flies  to 
chase  out.  We  have  not  seen  a  mosquito  or  gnat,  or  any- 
thing to  annoy  one.  There  is  no  perceptible  difference  be- 
tween the  temperature  of  the  morning  and  evening 
There  has  been  little  sunshine;  no  storms,  but  light  rains  of 
short  duration  nearly  every  day.  There  is  so  little  clear 
weather  that  we  have  lost  all  track  of  the  moon  and  do  not 
know  where  it  is.  This  evening  in  Rotterdam  the  sun  set 
clear,  the  first  time,  except  in  raris,  since  leaving  Scotland 
The  stars  came  out  twinkling  as  merrily  as  in  California.  In 
the  morning  as  we  ate  breakfast  we  had  the  finest  of  wheat 
rolls,  the  sweetest  of  butter  and  a  pot  of  tea  that  in  color 
and  brewing  would  cure  an  invalid.  The  rich  paneling  in 
the  dining  room,  elegant  tracing  of  foliage  on  the  windows, 
and  all  the  appointments  were  truly  Dutch  in  both  char- 
acter and  style.  It  is  the  rule  to  pay  your  bill  to  the  head 
waiter.  When  through  breakfast*  we  asked  for  the  bill.  The 
head  waiter,  dressed  in  a  black  cutaway  coat,  and  his  shirt 
front  of  immaculate  whiteness,  brought  the  bill  on  a  plate 
of  the  daintiest  of  porcelain  ware,  using  a  tray,  and  politely 
laid  the  plate  by  our  side  and  walked  away.  We  examined 
the  bill,  finding  it  correct,  calling  for  five  guilders.  We  laid 
five  and  one-half  guilders  on  the  plate.  He  came  with  the 
politest  of  bows  and  carried  plate  and  bill  away,  soon  bring- 
ing back  the  plate  with  bill  receipted  and  the  correct  change, 
two  silver  coins  reading  25  cents.  We  left  one  for  his  fee. 
We  found  we  were  at  the  wrong  station;  hired  a  cab  for 
one  guilder  to  carry  us  to  the  other  station;  paid  him  a 
fee;  gave  another  fee  to  an  officer  in  the  station  to  show  us 
our  right  car.  We  boarded  our  train  for  Dusseldorf,  Ger- 
many. 

We  passed  out  of  the  city  over  canals  filled  with  boats,  and 
quaint-looking  streets  with  people  in  them — typical  Dutch 
people.     Phlegmatic   they   may   be   in   temperament,   peculiar 


54  A  CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

in  custom,  and,  as  it  seemed  to  us,  gutteral  in  speech,  yet 
we  admired  their  sturdy  character;  we  saw  it  impressed  up- 
on their  faces  in  lines  of  determination,  boldness  and  ob- 
stinacy. Yet  they  are  polite  and  courteous,  as  Europeans  are. 
We  crossed  a  small  arm  of  the  sea  and  were  in  the  coun- 
try, which  for  miles  and  miles  there  is  none  other  like  it  on 
the  earth.  This  stretch  of  country  is  only  from  eight  to 
twelve  inches  above  the  water.  There  is  a  strip  of  water 
each  side  of  the  railroad  where  the  dirt  was  taken  out  to- 
construct  the  track.  All  the  land  is  laid  off  in  long,  narrow 
strips  about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  with  ditches  of  water 
each  side  from  six  to  eight  feet  wide.  The  country  roads 
had  strips  of  water  each  side  where  dirt  was  taken  out  to 
make  them.  The  houses  and  yards  had  ponds  of  water  both 
front  and  back,  where  dirt  was  taken  out  to  give  them  a 
little  elevation.  These  water  strips  are  the  fences.  Men 
were  fishing  in  them.  One  could  swim  or  row  around  his 
farm  before  breakfast,  or  go  a-fishing.  The  four-arm  wind- 
mills were  lazily  turning  to  give  elevation  to  carry  water 
into  the  house.  Was  it  not  picturesque  Holland?  Herds  of 
fat,  sleek,  different-colored  cattle  were  grazing  in  the  pas- 
tures or  lying  down  chewing  their  cuds.  Pictures  of  pas- 
toral life  everywhere.  The  little  narrow  roads  have  trees 
planted  on  their  edges,  with  now  and  then  one  about  the 
houses,  and  flocks  of  ducks  and  geese  swimming  on  the 
pools  of  water.  We  saw  thrifty,  well-kept  yards,  bunches 
of  flowers  about  the  homes,  men  and  women  wearing  wooden 
shoes,  and  a  church  spire  and  hamlet  here  and  there.  Was 
it  not  all  a  strange  scene  to  us?  We  saw  canals  with  the 
water  in  them  higher  than  the  land  about,  there  being  dykes 
of  earth  thrown  up  to  hold  the  water.  Just  beyond  Utrecht, 
where  our  train  stopped,  we  saw  soldiers  drilling  and  men 
working  on  some  earth  fortifications.  The  country  was 
changing  to  higher  land.  Some  apple  trees  and  some  farm- 
ing land,  then  pine  forests  just  planted,  sandy  ridges  and 
hedges  of  bushes.  In  a  large  field  we  saw  many  white  can- 
vas tents,  tipped  with  green,  just  erected.    Then  again  many 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  55 

miles  of  pine  forest,  from  two  to  four  feet  high.  Then  fields 
of  heath  on  one  side  as  far  as  we  could  see,  one  mass  of 
reddish  purple  bloom.  As  we  approached  Arnheim,  other 
and  larger  trees  became  commorj.  These  cities  are  built 
mostly  of  brown  brick,  with  bright  trimmings.  Another  lady 
got  in  our  compartment  at  Arnheim,  hearing  Elmer  laugh- 
ing I  looked  around.  The  locomotive  whistled  for  start- 
ing three  or  four  times.  The  lady  had  a  gentleman  accom- 
panying her  to  the  car,  and  each  time  the  whistle  sounded, 
the  lady,  leaning  out  of  the  car  door  window,  was  kissing 
the  gentleman,  the  longer  the  whistle  the  longer  the  kiss. 
Elmer  was  laughing  at  it,  yet  I  have  no  doubt  the  same  thing 
occurs  in  California. 

Just  beyond  Arnheim  there  were  some  meadows,  broad, 
nearly  treeless,  and  the  greenest  ones  I  ever  saw;  then  be- 
fore crossing  a  little  stream  were  more  earth  fortifications 
and  men  working  on  them.  The  houses,  scattered  along  on 
the  little  farms  here,  looked  very  old.  Their  roofs  were  cov- 
ered with  moss.  We  reached  Emerich.  All  the  passengers 
on  the  train  now  got  out,  carrying  their  luggage  into  a  build- 
ing to  be  examined.  We  were  entering  Germany.  What  a 
jabbering  and  chattering  in  German  and  Dutch!  I  was  sur- 
prised to  hear  a  lady  next  to  me  say,  "I  wonder  if  anybody 
talks  English  here."  I  replied,  "I  think  not."  Our  luggage 
again  passed  examination.  The  doors  were  unlocked  and 
we  entered  our  train.  As  the  train  rolled  swiftly  away  we 
began  to  look  at  Germany. 

The  farmhouses  were  larger  and  more  frequent;  better 
land — a  magnificent  farming  country.  We  saw  some  hedges 
with  red  berries  on  them ;  men  plowing  with  one-handled 
plows,  but  with  two  wheels  in  front.  At  Daisburgh  we 
changed  trains.  We  were  in  an  iron  center  of  Germany. 
There  were  large  manufactories  for  making  or  working  iron 
all  about  us.  There  were  hundreds  of  tall  chimneys  scat- 
tered all  over  the  country.  Just  before  dark  we  reached  Dus- 
seldorf,  and  broke  our  passage  again  to  stay  over  night  and 
see  the  exhibition — Germany's  greatest  exposition. 

The  next  morning  we  took  an  electric  car  and  rode  to  the 


55  A  CALIFORNIAN    CIRouING  THE   GLOBE. 

exposition.  We  found  a  long  group  of  imposing-looking 
buildings  scattered  along  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  and  got 
our  first  glimpse  of  this  river.  It  was  early,  yet  every  car 
was  filled;  many  were  on  foot  or  in  cabs,  until  as  we 
reached  the  entrance  we  had  to  form  in  line  for  our  tick- 
ets of  admission.  What  a  chance  to  see  the  German  peo- 
ple! Here  were  gathered  representative  German  men  and 
women  from  every  rank  in  life.  The  industrial  commercial, 
and  educational  were  represented,  and  some  of  the  peasantry. 
'Vou  have  seen  at  fairs  and  exhibitions  in  California,  people 
who  were  awkward  and  constrained  in  their  appearance,  hav- 
ing on  their  Sunday  or  holiday  clothes.  Such  people  were 
here.  They  were  from  the  farm  and  field,  not  wholly  at 
home  except  in  their  every-day  garb.  There  were  thousands 
of  well-dressed  people,  many  of  them  with  their  gloves  on, 
polished  and  easy  in  their  manners,  representing  the  pro- 
gressive classes  of  Germany.  The  exposition  managers  had 
no  English  guide  printed,  therefore  we  could  only  walk  about 
and  guess  at  some  of  the  names  on  the  exhibits.  The  dis- 
play was  grand,  and  one  for  the  German  people  to  be  proud 
of.  There  was  no  midway  performance.  It  is  the  greatest 
gathering  of  Germany's  art,  industry  and  manufactures  that 
the  German  people  ever  held.  It  would  take  a  whole  chap- 
ter to  tell  you  of  the  many  things  we  saw  of  interest  in  these 
few  hours.  Machines  of  all  kinds,  many  of  them  being  oper- 
ated. Iron  work  of  every  description,  from  Krupp's  display 
of  cannon  and  whole  mainshafts  of  a  ship  to  the  smallest 
iron  tools.  We  lingered  long  among  these  thousands  of 
German  people,  and  were  loth  to  leave,  although  we  heard 
not  a  word  of  English.  They  were  talking  away,  and  one 
word  occurred  so  frequently  that  we  soon  knew  its  mean- 
ing, as  it  came  so  repeatedly  that  the  occurrence  of  it  was 
as  frogs  croaking  in  a  pond — "Yah."  We  have  heard  the 
word  so  often  that,  as  Elmer  and  I  talk  together,  instead  of 
saying  yes,  we  catch  ourselves  saying  "Yah." 
Amid  the  ringing  of  bells  for  the  midday  hour,  we  took 


TUE    NII^E    AT    ASSOUAN 

DEC.    UtTH    \^02 


LONDON,   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  57 

car  again  for  the  station,  and  were  just  in  time  to  catch  the 
next  train  for  Cologne,  Germany. 

We  have  learned  now,  in  taking  a  train,  to  take  our  ticket 
and  watch  and  point  to  the  watch  as  we  enter  the  gates  to 
the  station.  Then  the  gate-keeper  who  punches  the  ticket 
points  out  the  hour  and  minute  our  train  leaves.  We  have 
a  map  and  railway  time  tables  printed  in  English,  which  we 
purchased  in  London  for  two  shillings,  concerning  all  of 
Europe  and  consult  these  tables  at  hotels  and  pick  out 
the  fastest  trains. 

The  train  we  boarded  at  Dusseldorf  was  a  slow  one,  yet 
we  only  had  two  hours'  travel  to  reach  Cologne.  In  the 
morning,  before  entering  the  exposition  at  Dusseldorf,  we 
visited  the  market.  This  is  a  novel  scene  to  an  American. 
In  the  German  cities  the  women  go  to  the  market  in  the 
morning,  and,  if  not  rainy,  most  of  them  go  bare-headed.  They 
carry  either  a  basket  or  an  open  woven  pouch  or  sling.  In 
the  smaller  cities  the  country  teams  come  in.  There  are 
flowers  and  all  sorts  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  such  throngs 
of  women !  The  life  and  bustle  over  a  whole  square  of  pave- 
ment is  a  wonderful  scene.  Of  course,  all  the  well-to-do 
people  send  their  servants.  As  we  left  Dusseldorf  we  saw 
a  fine  farming  country  and  much  manufacturing,  improve- 
ments in  new  houses,  and  new  factories.  Surely,  Germany 
is  very  progressive.  We  were  surprised  to  find  Dusseldorf  a 
well-built  city.  We  passed  some  forest  and  long  stretches  of 
farming  country,  where  men  were  preparing  to  sow  winter 
wheat.  As  our  train  drew  into  the  station  at  Cologne,  we 
saw  the  cathedral  for  which  this  city  is  noted.  Our  tickets 
read,  and  the  name  on  the  station  is  "Koln."  We  secured 
rooms  in  a  hotel  about  one  block  away  from  the  cathedral. 
We  went  into  the  cathedral,  the  most  imposing  and  sym- 
metrical one  we  have  seen.  To  the  roof  in  the  central  part 
is  140  feet.  You  can  never  realize  how  one  of  these  great 
cathedrals  looks  until  you  see  them.  The  stained  windows 
are  very  fine,  the  pillars  to  support  the  immense  weight  very 
large,  and  altogether  a  remarkable  work,  one  that  cost  mil- 


58  A  CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

lions  and  years  to  build.  Some  of  the  streets  in  Cologne  are 
very  narrow  and  people  have  to  walk  in  the  street,  as  there 
is  hardly  room  to  pass  on  the  sidewalk.  In  all  these  conti- 
nental European  cities  one  hears  more  bells  ringing  than  in 
London.  There  are  very  few  bells  ringing  in  London,  even 
on  Sunday.  Here  there  are  many  bells,  some  ringing  as 
chimes,  other  singly.  As  we  are  coming  back  to  Cologne, 
after  traveling  thousands  of  miles  in  Europe,  we  leave  most 
of  our  luggage  at  the  hotel.  It  was  the  finest  train  we  had 
yet  seen  in  Europe.  The  ticket  collector  took  a  key  and  in- 
serted in  a  metallic  plate  just  above  our  heads,  and  as  he 
turned  it,  the  word  Berlin  popped  out — our  destination.  The 
roads  are  smooth  and  we  noticed  the  rails  halved  together 
at  each  end  for  a  foot.  The  iron  used  for  rails  is  heavy.  The 
farmhouses  are  large  in  this  part  of  Germany,  and  many 
new  ones  are  being  erected.  Brick  is  used,  and  tile  for  the 
roofs  of  the  houses.  Towns  and  cities  are  close  together, 
with  a  magnificent  farming  country  between  them.  The  won- 
derful German  chemists  have  analyzed  these  soils  and  ran- 
sacked the  whole  earth  to  find  fertilizing  material ;  there- 
fore they  are  more  fertile  than  they  probably  were  many 
centuries  ago.  We  passed  forest,  field,  farm  and  factory  in 
quick  succession.  At  Essen  we  saw  at  one  side  acres  of 
shops  and  scores  of  tall  chimneys  all  belching  forth  smoke, 
until  our  vision  was  so  clouded  we  could  see  no  termination 
of  them — it  was  Krupp's  great  works,  probably  the  larg- 
est cannon  and  ordnance  manufacturer  in  the  world.  Just 
before  noon  a  gentleman  in  uniform  came  along  and  left  in 
our  seat  a  circular  with  the  time  table  of  that  train  printed 
in  German  on  one  side,  and  a  notice  that  a  dining  car  was  in 
the  train,  and  its  service  and  price  printed  in  three  lan- 
guages on  the  other  side,  one  of  them  English.  The  lan- 
guage was  so  remarkable  that  I  copy  a  little.  After  describ- 
ing that  a  fine  course  dinner  would  be  served,  it  went  on  to 
say:  "Price  is  three  marks,  and  if  no  wine  is  taken  three 
and  one-half  marks."  We  passed  many  freight  trains.  There 
are   more   box   cars  than   in   England,   and   they   are   a   lit- 


LONDON.   PARIS  AND  GERMANY.  59 

tie  longer,  yet  not  as  long  as  in  America.  There  is  no  way 
of  walking  along  on  the  train,  and  every  few  cars  on  one 
end  of  the  car  there  is  a  little  sentry-looking  box,  one-half 
in  end  of  car,  the  other  half  projecting  above.  A  ladder 
leading  to  it,  and  the  brakeman  rides  in  that  little  box, 
standing  up  endways. 

All  day  we  rode  through  a  fine  country,  crossing  a  small 
river.  There  was  one  range  of  hills  running  north  and  south, 
and  some  fine  forests.  At  one  place  the  forests  were  old 
enough,  so  a  saw  mill  was  working  up  the  pine.  Elmer  was 
walking  about  and  came  back  and  said,  "There  is  a  man 
locked  up  in  the  first-class  compartment."  I  said,  "Does  he 
look  like  nobility?"  He  replied,  "He  is  all  alone  and  read- 
ing newspapers."  There  is  a  saying  common  in  London  that 
only  "fools  and  Americans  ride  first  class."  I  do  not  know 
how  it  is  in  Germany. 

Before  reaching  Berlin  we  passed  several  large  Portland 
cement  manufactories,  and  it  seemed  that  on  their  sidings 
many  cars  were  loading  for  market.  Unlike  England,  nearly 
all  the  railroads  cross  the  traveled  roads  on  grade,  and  there 
appears  to  be  a  keeper  to  let  down  a  gate  as  the  train  passes. 
We  saw  in  wet  places  the  farmers  putting  in  considerable  tile 
draining.  In  one  place  there  were  many  acres  of  asparagus 
growing.  We  noticed  as  we  entered  Berlin  that,  unlike  Ameri- 
can cities,  most  of  the  better  hotels  were  near  the  central 
station. 

We  arrived  in  Berlin  Saturday  evening  and  it  rained  all 
night  and  until  2  o'clock  of  Sunday.  We  started  to  find  a 
Protestant  church  Sunday  evening,  but  failed.  We  found 
two,  but  they  were  shut  up,  and  one  Catholic  church  open. 
We  did  see  crowds  of  people  blocking  the  streets,  waiting 
for  the  theatres  to  be  opened,  and  the  cafes  crowded  with 
men  and  women  sipping  tea,  drinking  beer  and  other  drmK.--. 
Our  room  was  not  very  far  from  a  large  cafe,  and  we 
heard  them  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  We  walked  by 
the  Kaiser's  palace.    There  is  a  large  open  space  on  three  sides 


60  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLINQ  THE  GLOBE. 

of    it,    fountains   playing   and   much   ornamental    statuary   on 
the  different  sides. 

On  Monday  we  went  to  the  United  States  embassy  to  as- 
certain what  farther  to  do  to  get  into  Russia,  as  we  had 
learned  that  just  a  passport  from  Washington  was  not  suffi- 
cient, though  necessary.  We  were  received  very  cordially  and 
directed  to  the  American  Consul  General's  office.  We  went 
there  as  directed  and  asked  for  a  "visa"  to  our  passports. 
The  first  question  we  were  asked  was,  "What  is  your  re- 
ligion?" We  replied,  "Protestant."  Then,  after  the  papers 
were  made  out,  we  were  confronted  by  the  consul  general  with 
a  question,  "You  declare  this  to  be  true?"  We  paid  four 
marks  each  for  this  service,  again  signing  a  sort  of  supple- 
mentary passport.  This  was  not  enough.  We  had  to  go  to 
the  Russian  consul  general's  office.  His  office  was  up  stairs, 
yet  a  large  door  opened  into  a  court  and  stairway  from  the 
sidewalk.  We  could  not  open  the  door.  Elmer  pulled  what 
we  supposed  was  a  door-bell.  A  passer-by  ran  up  and  pulled 
this  supposed  door-bell,  and  then,  while  pulling,  the  knob 
yielded  and  we  went  in  and  walked  up  stairs.  The  door- 
keeper has  two  tiny  glass  eyes  in  the  door,  which  cannot  be 
opened  from  the  outside,  and  as  we  came  up  the  door  flew 
open  and  he  bowed  very  politely  to  us,  ushering  us  into  an 
anteroom,  where  we  found  about  a  dozen  of  people  of  all  sorts, 
waiting.  We  were  soon  ushered  into  an  inner  room.  With 
our  passports  in  our  hands,  we  told  him  that  we  wanted  his 
official  sanction.  He  could  talk  English.  He  took  them. 
We  paid  him  four  marks  each,  and  he  told  us  to  come  again 
at  half  past  two  o'clock.  We  then  went  to  the  Dresdener 
Bank  to  change  four  hundred  marks  into  Russian  money.  We 
got  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  roubles,  and  eighty  ko- 
pecks, with  one  mark  back.  This  is  the  largest  and  most  spa- 
cious banking  house  I  was  ever  in.  Yet  it  took  two  clerks 
over  half  an  hour  to  figure  out  this  money  and  effect  the 
change.  We  went  back  to  the  Russian  consul  general's  office 
at  half  past  two.  He  had  done  nothing  to  our  passports,  and 
after  we  had  waited  a  few  minutes  he  wrote  his  "visa"  as  it 


LONDON,    PARIS   AND    GERMANY.  61 

is  called,  on  their  backs,  and  we  were  ready  to  go  into  Russia. 
With  the  politest  of  bows  we  were  ushered  out.  Many  were 
coming  and  going  as  we  sat  there,  mostly  Russians  that  had 
been  out  of  the  country  and  were  going  back. 

As  we  walked  to  our  hotel,  we  saw  three  real  black  negroes. 
They  were  attracting  much  attention  on  the  street.  In  these 
northern  European  cities  negroes  are  scarce.  We  saw  a 
hearse  returning  from  a  funeral.  The  four  horses  hitched  to 
it  had  their  heads  and  entire  bodies  draped  in  black,  except 
just  little  holes  for  their  eyes.  Each  horse  had  a  black  plume 
on  his  head. 

We  left  Berlin  in  the  edge  of  the  evening  for  Moscow.  We 
reached  the  frontier  of  Russia  just  after  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  The  train  was  locked  and  no  one  could  get  out. 
A  Russian  in  uniform,  with  a  sword  clanging  on  one  side, 
and  a  pistol  and  holster  on  the  other,  his  pants  tucked  in  his 
boots,  came  along  in  the  train,  gathering  up  everybody's 
passport.  Then  all  the  passengers,  at  half  past  one  in  the 
morning,  were  gathered  into  a  large  room  in  the  station,  with 
all  their  luggage,  for  inspection.  Ours  passed,  yet  many  had 
to  pay  duty,  as  various  things  dutiable  were  brought  to  light ; 
it  took  two  hours  to  get  out  of  this  station.  We  all  had  to 
wait  at  a  window  and  call  out  our  names  in  order  to  have  our 
passports  returned  to  us.  We  then  purchased  our  tickets  to 
Moscow  (as  our  circular  ticket  does  not  include  Russia), 
costing  us  eighteen  roubles  each.  We  boarded  our  train,  pay- 
ing an  interpreter  a  few  kopecks  as  a  fee  to  guide  us  aright. 
Soon  after  the  train  started  a  porter  came  along  and  trans- 
formed our  car  into  a  sleeper,  yet  there  were  only  cushions  to 
lie  down  on,  no  covers.  Then  the  ticket  collector  came  along 
and  asked  for  our  "billets."  Next  morning  I  arose  early  and 
saw  the  sun  rising  over  a  flat,  level  country  in  Poland.  The 
farm  houses  were  poor.  Most  of  them  were  thatched,  low, 
with  only  one  entrance  in  sight.  They  looked  a  little  better 
where  they  were  grouped  in  hamlets,  instead  of  being  scattered 
about  on  the  roads.  Mostly  hay  crops,  and  they  looked  poor; 
the  women   were  barefooted,  some  men  were  plowing,   with 


62  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

the  smallest  handles  and  beam  I  ever  saw  on  a  plow.  Not 
many  trees,  and  no  hills.  I  do  not  think  the  soil  is  as  good  as 
in  Germany,  yet  the  difference  may  be  in  fertilizing.  As  we 
neared  Warsaw  there  seemed  to  be  peasants  driving  and 
walking  about,  and  all  looked  wretchedly  poor.  The  reason 
our  consul  general  asked  our  religion  was  that  if  we  had  been 
Jews  we  would  have  been  shut  out  of  Russia.  What  a  travesty 
that  is,  when  one-half  of  all  the  Jews  in  the  world  are  sup- 
posed to  live  in  Russia. 

Our  train  came  into  the  station.  We  found  nobody  to  speak 
English,  but  were  directed  to  a  train  for  Moscow.  It  poked 
off  and  encircled  the  city  and  pulled  up  at  another  station, 
where  we  were  motioned  off  with  the  other  passengers.  An 
express  train  stood  there  for  Moscow.  The  officials  motioned 
us  back  as  we  went  to  get  on.  We  could  not  make  them  un- 
derstand, and  while  we  were  recovering  our  equilibrium  the 
train  pulled  out.  We  succeeded  in  finding  a  German  that  could 
talk  English.  He  told  us  that  we  could  not  leave  for  Moscow 
before  evening.    We  were  left  to  meditate  in  Warsaw. 


III. 
^rcm  Mesecw  to  Milan. 

Our  meditation  lasted  all  day  and  until  9:30  p.  m.  We 
found  that  it  was  unavoidable,  as  the  train  that  preceded  us 
in  the  morning  was  made  up  of  sleepers,  with  all  seats  re- 
served in  advance.  We  walked  about  Warsaw.  A  river  run- 
ning north  and  south  divides  the  city  into  two  parts.  On  the 
west  side  is  the  best  of  the  city,  where  the  principal  stores 
and  hotels  are  located.  The  Jews  control  the  wealth  and 
trade,  being  tolerated  here  by  the  Russian  government,  but 
are  practically  driven  out  of  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow. 
There  are  more  poor  people  here,  wretchedly  so,  than  I  have 
ever  seen  before;  dirty,  barefooted,  ignorant,  and,  above  all, 
with  a  dejected  look,  human  aspirations  apparently  stamped 
out.  if  they  ever  existed.  Looking  at  the  thousands  of  such 
people  one  could  easily  become  a  believer  in  Darwinism, 
were  it  not  for  one  fact.  Many  of  these  women  have  on  red, 
or  checked  with  red,  dresses,  if  partially  concealed  with  dirt. 
Scientists  tell  us  that  monkeys  cannot  distinguish  color.  This 
fact  throws  out  Darwin's  theory. 

Inside  of  two  hours,  as  I  walked  about,  I  saw  four  funeral 
processions  passing  along  the  streets,  just  an  old  one-horse 
wagon  draped  in  some  dingy  black  to  bear  the  coffin,  and  the 
mourners  walking  behind — mostly  women  and  children,  only 
a  handful,  and  in  one  of  the  instances  only  three,  keeping  close 
to  the  wagon  to  avoid  being  run  over.  The  only  brightness 
was  the  coffin,  which  I  have  no  doubt  was  hired  for  the  oc- 
casion. 


64  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Policemen  dressed  in  uniform,  wearing  swords,  were  at 
every  corner;  soldiers  of  all  ranks  walking  and  being  driven 
about,  rich  and  poor  jostling  each  other  on  the  best  streets; 
caste  everywhere.  Each  soldier  tips  his  hat  and  touches  his 
forehead  as  he  meets  one  of  higher  rank;  even  civilians  sa- 
lute one  another  of  higher  position,  and  the  peasants  saluting 
those  in  authority  over  them. 

I  passed  by  a  large  church,  all  fenced  in,  and  noticed  a 
gate  unlocked  in  the  fence  on  one  side.  I  saw  now  and  then 
a  well-dressed  lady  enter  this  gate,  close  it,  and  then  enter 
the  church  for  worship.  Hundreds  of  the  poor  were  passing 
in,  front  of  the  church,  many  of  them  with  bundles  on  their 
backs  as  large  as  they  could  carry.  They  bent  their  knees 
and  crossed  themselves,  many  of  them  kneeling  down  on  the 
cold,  hard,  dirty  pavement,  reverently  crossing  themselves,  not 
once  but  several  times.  It  was  good  enough  for  them  to  wor- 
ship outside.  Most  of  the  churches,  by  their  style,  seemed  to 
be  Greek  churches,  the  national  religion  of  Russia.  I  soon 
noticed,  as  I  walked  about,  that  each  cab  driver,  most  of  the 
uniformed  men,  most  of  the  people,  rich  and  poor,  and  many 
of  them  in  the  street  cars,  as  they  passed  a  church  would 
lift  their  hats  or  caps,  and  cross  themselves — not  in  front  of 
any  one  church  in  particular,  but  all  of  them. 

There  are  many  geese  raised  in  Poland.  I  saw  a  flock  of 
several  hundred  being  driven  along  a  street  by  men  having 
red  rags  tied  to  a  stick,  dodging  street  cars  and  teams.  Most 
of  the  streets  are  paved  with  stose,  worn  so  long  that  they 
are  now  round,  uneven — the  worst  streets  that  I  ever  saw. 

At  9:30  p.  m.  we  boarded  our  train  for  Moscow.  By  pay- 
ing one  and  one-half  roubles  each  we  secured  reserved  seats, 
which  gave  the  entire  side  of  a  compartment  in  a  corridor 
car,  which  was  turned  into  an  upper  and  lower  berth  for 
sleeping  at  night,  quite  comfortable  and  nice,  only  if  we  wanted 
covers  and  bedding  that  would  cost  one  rouble  more  each. 
The  other  side  of  the  compartment  was  occupied  by  a  colonel 
in  the  Russian  army  and  a  gentleman  from  Paris,  who  talked 


FROM    MOSCOW   TO    MILAN.  65 

together  a  good  deal  in  Russian,  but  we  could  not  under- 
stand a  word. 

Unlike  other  parts  of  Europe,  there  are  few  good  roads  m 
Russia,  except  military  roads  across  the  country.  Outside  the 
larger  towns,  and  they  are  few  and  far  between,  the  people  all 
live  in  villages — just  a  group  of,  usually,  log  houses,  with  poles 
for  rafters,  and  roofs  thatched  with  straw,  old  and  gray. 
No  paint,  no  whitewash,  roofs  covered  with  patches  of  moss, 
only  one  door,  one  little  window,  scarcely  any  chimneys.  No 
regular  streets,  little  muddy  lanes  or  paths  crooking  around 
the  houses,  scarcely  any  trees,  not  any  flowers  in  sight.  No 
schools,  only  one  room  to  live  in,  an  adjoining  room,  without 
much  partition  sometimes,  for  the  horses,  cows  and  a  pig  or 
two,  with  now  and  then  some  sheep.  The  peasants  do  not 
undress  at  night.  All  they  cook  is  stewed  up  in  one  dish, 
and  the  whole  family  sit  around  with  spoons,  no  plates,  dip- 
ping out  of  this  dish  as  they  eat. 

In  the  larger  villages  some  sort  of  a  Greek  church  and  a 
priest;  in  the  smaller  ones,  a  place  called  a  church  but  no 
priest.  At  stated  times  he  comes  on  Sunday,  a  bell  being 
rung  Saturday  night  to  tell  the  people  of  his  coming.  Then 
they  go,  a  part  at  a  time,  crowding  into  the  little  room  called 
a  church,  until  all  the  people  get  in. 

They  work  Sundays  and  every  other  day  except  the  great 
holidays  of  the  year,  paying  no  attention  to  the  holidays  of 
the  cities,  and  can  tell  the  time  only  by  the  sun.  They  go  to 
work  at  daylight  and  work  until  dark.  They  herd  their  cat- 
tle and  sheep — no  fences — and  usually  the  boys  or  girls  do 
the  herding,  their  only  education. 

They  raise  flax.  We  saw  the  women  washing  it  and  then 
drying  it  on  the  grass,  and  in  the  villages  was  a  high  frame- 
work of  poles,  to  finally  cure  the  flax  on.  The  women  weave 
cloth  from  the  flax  in  the  winter  time,  their  only  clothing. 
The  men  have  sheep  skins  sewed  together  for  overcoats. 

The  corn  (oats)  and  buckwheat  was  the  only  growing 
crop  in  sight;  they  were  harvesting,  in  the  crudest  way,  mostly 
being  done  by  the  women.    The  men  were  plowing  for  winter 


66  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

wheat  and  rye.  Some  manure  was  being  hauled  on  to  the 
fields  and  it  was  quite  common  to  see  the  women  spreading 
it  with  their  hands. 

Each  peasant  has  a  patch  of  potatoes,  small  and  poor,  and 
a  stack  or  two  of  hay,  on  some  interval  where  much  haying 
is  done;  no  clover  to  enrich  the  land,  naturally  fertile,  but 
looking  worn  out  by  continued  cropping. 

After  leaving  Poland  and  in  Russia  proper,  a  little  over 
one-half  of  the  country,  as  we  could  see,  is  growing  forests, 
mostly  white  birch  and  pine  of  the  Norway  variety.  Of  course, 
there  are  no  primitive  forests  left,  like  I  have  seen  in  British 
Columbia  and  Alaska,  yet  for  growing  natural  forests  there 
are  no  finer  in  any  country — trees  straight  as  an  arrow,  and 
as  thick  as  they  can  grow.  Thousands  of  cords  of  birch  wood 
were  cut  and  hauled  by  the  track,  mostly  about  eighteen  inches 
long,  looking,  as  we  passed  acres  of  this  wood  at  times,  as 
though  their  tops  and  sides  were  tipped  with  snow,  the  white 
birch  bark  presenting  that  appearance.  There  were  logs  of 
pine,  railway  ties,  telegraph  poles  and  piles  of  sawed  lumber. 
Truly,  this  is   a  country  of  wonderful  natural  resources. 

In  Moscow  I  found  a  Russian  who  could  talk  English  who 
had  traveled  in  America,  and  I  asked  him,  "Why  is  it  that 
the  people  in  these  country  villages  are  so  poor?"  His  reply 
came :  "There  are  many  things  unexplainable  in  Russia," 
and  at  the  same  time  intimated  that  they  were  not  allowed 
to  explain  them.  I  understood  fully  and  forebore  questioning 
him  further  on  that  line.  He,  however,  told  me  that  the  peas- 
ants could  not  cultivate  much  acreage  in  grain,  as  they  had 
no  labor-saving  machinery  nor  money  to  buy  with,  and  that 
the  Moscow  merchants  sold  everything  at  about  one  hundred 
per  cent  profit,  with  no  competition  among  them,  making  it 
still  harder  for  the  peasant  to  buy.  I  only  saw  one  American 
reaper  in  Poland  and  two  in  Russia,  yet  there  were  thousands 
of  acres  of  com  (oats)  ready  to  cut,  and  women  and  men 
working  at  the  crop  with  sickle  or  scythe  hooked  on  a 
straight  stick  for  a  handle. 

As  often  as  every  verst  (a  Russian  mile)  or  less  the  country 


FROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  67 

roads  cross  the  railway  on  the  grade,  either  through  forest 
or  field.  Between  Warsaw  and  Moscow,  except  close  to  the 
cities,  the  railroad  people  have  built  small  log  houses  for  a 
peasant  to  live  in  at  each  of  these  crossings.  An  iron  rail 
painted  red  and  green  crosses  the  country  road,  hung  with 
a  weight,  and  always  in  place  as  the  train  passes,  on  each  side 
of  the  track.  The  remarkable  feature  is  that,  early  or  late, 
rain  or  shine,  a  peasant,  usually  a  woman,  as  the  train  passes, 
stands  between  the  rail  and  the  track,  either  one  side  or  the 
other,  as  motionless  as  a  statue  and  as  solemn  as  an  owl,  with 
a  stick,  covered  with  a  green  flag  wound  on  it,  pointing  directly 
at  the  train.  Between  Warsaw  and  the  frontier  this  does  not 
occur,  yet  the  little  houses  are  there,  built  of  brick. 

We  passed  through  about  the  center  of  Poland.  The  country- 
is  flat,  even  more  so  than  a  Kansas  prairie.  From  Poland  to 
Moscow  it  is  a  little  more  rolling,  yet  no  hill  anywhere. 
There  are  fences  made  mostly  of  old  railroad  ties,  set  endwise 
in  the  ground,  most  of  the  way,  as  protection  from  snow  drifts 
in  the  winter,  with  a  hedge  of  spruce  or  pine  growing.  The 
freight  cars  are  nearly  all  box  cars;  on  each  comer  near  the 
top  and  inside  is  a  little  iron  window  or  shutter  to  let  down 
The  reason,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  is  that  all  the  troops  are 
transported  in  these  cars.  We  saw  train  loads  of  soldiers, 
packed  as  close  as  they  could  stand  in  these  box  cars  wkh 
only  these  iron  shutters  and  a  little  crpck  of  the  side  doors 
open.  I  also  saw  a  train  load  of  peasants  riding  the  same  way, 
men  and  women. 

There  are  soldiers  at  every  station  and  walking  about  in 
the  cities,  besides  the  regiments  to  be  seen.  We  saw  at  least 
3000  troops  pass  on  a  street  in  Warsaw  with  their  bands  of 
music  and  guns  in  full  marching  outfit.  The  privates  looked 
dirty  and  ignorant  and  seemed  to  be  but  little  more  than  a 
mob.  All  official  positions  in  trade  or  government  in  Russia 
carr>-  with  them  a  uniform;  therefore,  outside  of  peasants,  it 
seems  almost  ever>-  other  man  has  a  uniform  on.  Everything 
is  formal.  When  your  train  leaves  a  station  the  station-keeper 
rings  a  bell  twice.    Then,  after  a  few  moments,  he  rings  the 


68  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

bell  three  times,  then  a  train  man  blows  a  pocket  whistle. 
The  engineer  on  the  locomotive  responds  with  a  short  steam 
whistle.  Then  the  train  man  whistles  again  and  the  engineer 
responds,  and  at  that  moment  the  train  starts  off.  There  are 
double  tracks  on  all  the  roads  we  have  traveled  over  in  Eu- 
rope, and  sometimes  more. 

We  found  Moscow,  the  second  city  in  Russia,  quite  inter- 
esting. There  are  many  Greek  churches,  and  what  seems  to 
be  in  many  places  a  small  place  of  worship  at  some  turn  of 
the  street,  with  open  doors  and  candles  burning  inside,  with 
people  passing  in  and  out.  The  cabs  here  have  the  smallest 
wheels  I  ever  saw,  the  front  ones  about  two  feet  in  diameter 
and  the  hind  ones  but  little  larger.  The  horses  have  a  yoke 
sticking  high  above  the  collar,  in  the  form  of  a  half  circle, 
to  which  the  fills  are  fastened,  the  yoke  in  turn  fastened  to 
the  horse's  collar  about  half  way  to  the  top.  Most  of  the 
streets  are  paved  with  the  roughest  of  cobble'  stones.  We 
hired  one  of  these  curious-looking  cabs,  yoke  and  all,  paying 
one  and  one-half  roubles  for  a  lengthy  drive  about  this  old 
city,  once  the  capital  of  Russia,  and  where  all  the  Czars  are 
crowned.  There  are  some  blocks  of  buildings  of  imposing  ap- 
pearance. One  noticeable  feature  in  a  European  city  is  what 
they  call  an  arcade,  a  long,  handsome  passageway  a  few  feet 
in  width,  running  at  an  angle  all  the  way  through  some 
block  of  buildings,  lined  with  small,  handsome  stores  each 
side,  and  usually  crowded  with  people.  We  saw  three  of 
these  long  arcades,  in  a  block  approaching  completion,  in 
Moscow.  There  is  more  crossing  and  lifting  of  hats  by  the 
people  here  than  in  Warsaw,  as  they  went  by  the  places  of 
worship.  A  Greek  priest  in  a  two-seated  closed  carriage,  sit- 
ting with  a  lighted  candle  in  his  hand,  passed  us.  Most  of 
the  people  in  the  street  caught  sight  of  him  and  such  crossing, 
bowing  of  knees,  and  touching  of  foreheads  I  never  saw  be- 
fore. All  I  could  see  in  the  carriage  was  the  priest  and  his 
candle  and  two  ladies  sitting  on  the  back  seat.  All  very  ma- 
terial. What  were  they  worshipping?  We  went  into  a  very 
large  Greek  church.     Except  in  architecture,  with  its  lighted 


cakkia(;k   in    Moscow 


FROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  69 

candles,  we  could  see  but  little  difference  between  this  church 
and  a  Catholic  one.  There  were  no  pews  nor  seats,  and  the 
confessionals  were  not  as  prominent  in  the  places  we  saw  used 
that  way  as  in  Catholic  churches.  Men  were  wearing  over- 
coats, reminding  us  that  we  were  in  a  cold  country,  and  it 
was  cold.  There  are  other  places  of  interest,  but  this  was 
one  of  their  numerous  holidays  and  they  were  closed.  I  pur- 
chased some  grapes  of  a  man  on  the  street,  paying  45  kopecks 
for  a  pound,  and  what  a  curious-looking  old  balancing  scales 
he  had,  just  like  those  you  have  seen  in  old  pictures.  The 
poor  of  Moscow,  while  we  saw  whole  streets  of  them,  did 
not  look  as  poor  as  the  peasants  in  the  country  or  the  wretch- 
edly poor  people  of  Warsaw. 

As  we  left  Moscow  the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  about  two 
hours  before  sunset.  All  Russian  cities  have  many  roofs 
painted  a  bright  green,  while  all  the  balls  and  small  spires 
of  the  Greek  churches  are  gilded  with  a  color  as  bright  as 
polished  brass.  Many  of  the  large  buildings  are  painted  in 
bright  colors,  unlike  other  European  cities  we  have  seen. 
The  rays  of  this  bright  sun  caught  dome,  tower,  roof  and 
spire  with  such  a  glow  and  gleam  of  sparkling  brightness  as 
our  train  rolled  away  that  within  my  memory's  grasp  I  will 
ever  carry  this  picture,  one  of  the  gems  of  soft,  brilliant  beauty 
that  poets  love  to  dream  over.  The  next  morning,  as  our  fast 
express  train  was  covering  the  long  distance  to  Warsaw,  the 
sun  rose  clear  in  this  Russian  sky,  and  in  a  few  minutes  dark, 
gray,  cold  and  pitiless-looking  clouds  overcast  the  entire  hori- 
zon, sending  a  wall  of  gloom  over  forest  and  field.  I  thought 
of  Napoleon  and  his  army  retreating  from  Moscow,  over  prac- 
tically the  same  route  we  were  traveling,  nearly  one  hundred 
years  ago.  How  easy  it  was,  here  on  the  ground,  amid  such 
surroundings,  to  fill  in  the  picture  with  all  its  dire  settings 
of  disaster  and  death,  until,  as  I  mused  upon  it,  in  my  reverie 
every  tree,  knoll,  or  hollow  that  went  flitting  by,  as  the  train 
rolled  on,  seemed  to  have  a  part  in  the  painting  of  the  pic- 
ture. 

Unlike  the  rest  of  Europe,  all  the  land  in  Russia,  including 


70  A    CALIF0RN1AN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Poland,  as  far  as  our  trip  extended,  to  Moscow,  that  is  culti' 
vated,  is  ploughed  in  extremely  narrow  lands,  not  over  eight 
feet  wide.  The  farmer  is  trying  to  run  off  surplus  moisture 
on  the  surface,  while  in  other  parts  of  Europe  the  land  is  un- 
derdrained  with  tile.  I  should  judge  that  Russia  is  the  natural 
home  of  crows,  as  we  saw  flock  after  flock.  Some  of  them 
would  count  into  the  thousands. 

While  eating  in  the  dining  car  we  incidentally  learned  that 
the  police  of  some  interior  city  must  "visa"  our  passports  be- 
fore we  would  be  allowed  to  leave  Russia.  Having  no  alter- 
native, we  abandoned  our  through  train  in  Warsaw  at  one 
o'clock  at  night,  went  to  a  hotel,  awakened  the  proprietor,  and 
through  an  interpreter  engaged  rooms,  handed  him  our  pass- 
ports with  the  request  that  he  would  obtain  of  the  police  their 
"visa"  for  leaving  the  country.  Had  we  gone  to  the  frontier 
from  Moscow  as  we  started  they  would  have  sent  us  back  at 
our  own  expense.    We  are  again  left  to  meditate  in  Warsaw. 

About  five  o'clock  p.  m.  we  obtained  our  passports  of  the 
police — with  the  privilege  of  paying  one  and  a  half  roubles 
each  for  their  "visa" — and  boarded  another  through  train  for 
Germany,  arriving  in  Alexandraw,  on  the  frontier,  at  lO  p.  m. 
Alighting,  we  handed  our  passports  to  the  Russian  officers 
and  awaited  events.  Our  train  rolled  away.  After  a  while  a 
German  train  backed  into  the  station  and  we  went  on  board. 
For  a  long  time  we  sat  there,  then  a  Russian  official  with  the 
passports  of  all  the  passengers  came  along  the  train  and  at 
each  compartment  looked  in  and  requested  the  names  of  the 
passengers.  As  we  called  out  our  names  he  handed  us  our 
passports  that  he  carried  in  a  large  leather  book,  where  each 
passport  had  a  page.  Every  one  having  a  passport  without 
the  proper  "visa"  on  it  was  compelled  to  leave  the  train.  There 
was  much  excitement  and  a  great  deal  of  Russian  talk.  As 
soon  as  the  passengers  in  each  compartment  got  their  pass- 
ports, it  was  locked  up.  When  all  through  the  train  started 
for  Thorn,  on  the  German  side  of  the  frontier. 

As  we  arrived  in  Thorn,  a  German  officer,  wearing  on  his 
head  a  helmet  running  to  a  point  on  top  of  the  crown,  looking 


FROM    MOSCOW   TO    MILAN.  71 

like  burnished  brass,  came  and  asked  for  our  passports.  He 
looked  at  them,  simply  noting  that  they  had  been  stamped  by 
the  police  on  the  Russian  side  and  handed  them  back.  Then 
we  carried  our  luggage  into  the  station,  where  we  again  passed 
the  custom  house  officials.  Then  taking  still  another  train 
(as  the  one  we  were  on  was  going  to  Berlin),  we  started  for 
Breslau,  the  third  largest  city  in  Germany,  Berlin  and  Ham- 
burg being  the  first  and  second.  It  was  Saturday  night.  We 
lay  down  on  the  cushions  and  curled  up,  sleeping  the  best 
we  could,  only  one  passenger  coming  in  to  disturb  our  slum- 
bers, arriving  in  Breslau  at  sunrise  Sunday  morning. 

An  Englishman  in  Russia  had  told  us  of  a  hotel  where  the 
porter  could  speak  English.  Armed  with  the  address,  and  by 
showing  it  to  numerous  policemen  and  street  sweepers,  we 
managed  to  find  it,  and  settled  down  until  Monday  morning. 
At  ten  o'clock  we  went  to  the  largest  Protestant  church, 
and  as  a  German  said  who  could  talk  a  little  EngKsh,  had  "the 
tallest  spire  in  Breslau,  no  meters  high."  The  church  was 
built  in  the  cathedral  style,  probably  before  Martin  Luther's 
time,  and  had  been  fixed  over  by  painting  and  decoration  to 
conform  to  Protestant  ideas.  There  was  a  large  congregation 
of  people  not  overdressed,  as  that  sort  of  people  do  not  go 
to  church  in  Europe.  The  singing  was  good,  although  in 
German.  Of  the  sermon  I  only  caught  two  w'ords,  Moses  and 
Jerusalem.  Of  course  it  was  in  German.  The  reverence  and 
attention  was  good.     We  saw  no  signs  of  any  Sunday  scTlool. 

Breslau  is  a  very  old  city,  the  buildings  looking  old.  It  has 
a  population  of  about  on-half  million.  In  these  old  cities 
there  are  many  streets  barely  wide  enough  for  a  wagon,  and 
never  run  straight  for  more  than  a  block  or  two.  There  are 
no  stores  open  Sunday,  except  bakeries,  fruit  and  meat  stores. 
Progressive  German  people !  We  admire  their  sturdy  charac- 
ter and  cannot  find  any  more  poverty  and  want  in  their  cities 
than  in  America. 

Early  Monday  morning  w-e  walked  to  the  station.  It  was 
along  one  of  the  principal  business  streets,  time  not  yet  six 
o'clock.     I  will  never  forget  what  we  saw.     The  street  was 


72  A    CALirORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

fairly  full  of  people  going  all  one  way — to  market,  most  of 
them  in  the  street,  instead  of  on  the  sidewalks,  because  there 
was  something  with  them;  dogs  hitched  to  several  kinds  of 
carts,  with  a  man  or  woman  pulling  the  cart  by  its  side; 
great  large  wheelbarrows  with  women  pushing  them  along; 
little  wagons  of  all  sorts  and  styles,  some  piled  high  with 
empty  baskets,  some  filled  with  flowers,  and  a  man  or  woman 
propelling  them;  teams  and  wagons  from  the  country,  loaded 
with  vegetables,  and  mixed  in  with  the  lot  were  happy,  healthy- 
faced  drivers,  men  and  women;  and  the  most  curious  part 
of  this  striking  scene  was  many  baby  buggies,  all  of  about 
one  style,  with  strong  wheels  on  them,  rolling  along,  not  carry- 
ing any  babies  to  market,  but  being  pushed  along  by  strong 
German  women.  On  the  sidewalks  were  men  and  women 
carrying  satchels  and  now  and  then  one  with  a  load  on  his 
or  her  head.  Most  of  the  women  were  bareheaded,  yet  we 
were  shivering  with  cold.  Many  of  them  had  nice,  clean 
aprons  on,  and  looked  neat.  Truly,  these  Germans  are  a 
wonderful  people.  Evidently  the  most  of  them  were  small 
traders,  going  to  get  their  daily  supplies,  while  others  had 
something  to  sell.  As  we  walked  along  we  concluded  that  it 
was  so  early  there  would  be  but  few  in  the  station  to  take  the 
train  leaving  at  6 :22.  We  were  never  more  surprised.  We  found 
many  took  our  train,  filling  up  ten  passenger  coaches,  and  after 
getting  on  the  train  Elmer  said,  looking  out  of  the  window, 
"Look  at  the  hundreds  of  people !"  There  they  were,  filling  a 
long  train  for  Berlin,  another  for  Vienna  and  two  other 
trains ;  bustle,  activity,  animation,  something  so  unexpected  by 
us  at  that  early  hour. 

As  our  express  train  from  Breslau  rolled  away  to  the  south- 
east, we  passed  into  one  of  the  most  fertile  farming  regions 
in  the  world.  The  peasants  were  mowing  by  hand  the  after- 
growth of  grass  in  the  meadows,  getting  a  good  crop,  and 
plowing  for  winter  grain.  The  women  were  digging  the  po- 
tato crop,  spreading  and  raking  the  hay,  which  feature  lasted 
all  day,  both  in  Germany  and  Hungary.     I  saw  some  corn. 


PROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  73 

sown  for  fodder,  growing  so  stout  that  it  was  lodged  on  the 
ground. 

The  country  has  but  few  trees  and  is  level.  Our  car  was 
extremely  comfortable,  there  being  straps  to  rest  th€  arms 
or  hands  in,  head  rests,  and  everything  that  a  millionaire  could 
wish,  and  we  were  riding  second-class.  It  was  just  as  good 
as  first-class  compartments  in  the  same  car.  There  were 
some  pieces  of  red  clover  left  to  ripen  to  get  the  seed;  no 
fences,  nor  forest,  and  we  could  see  many  miles  each  way. 
Many  acres  of  low  land  was  being  underdrained  with  tile. 
The  women  here  were  spreading  manure  with  a  fork.  We 
crossed  some  rivers,  or  it  may  have  been  the  same  one,  as 
this  part  of  Germany  still  sloped  to  the  north  enough  for 
drainage.  At  one  crossing  there  were  canal  boats  in  the 
river.  The  farmers  live  in  little  villages  close  together,  and 
in  many  places  the  old  thatched  roof,  where  they  used  to  live, 
and  the  new  home,  with  its  bright  tile  roof  and  brick  sides, 
proclaiming  prosperity  and  progress,  are  near  together.  They 
used  drills  in  sowing  their  grain. 

There  are  many  large  manufacturing  plants,  some  of  them 
on  a  large  scale,  making  cement.  Most  of  the  women  in  the 
fields  were  barefooted,  and  some  of  them  having  about  four 
cattle  tied  together  by  their  heads,  holding  them  while  they 
were  feeding,  their  heads  all  one  way.  I  saw  one  woman 
driving  a  stake  in  the  ground  with  a  rock,  two  goats  teth- 
ered to  the  stake  with  a  rope.  Some  of  the  farmers  were 
scattering  fertilizer.  In  the  morning  dark  clouds  overspread 
the  sky  and  it  was  cold.  Now,  about  ten  o'clock,  the  lower 
clouds  passed  away,  and  little  rifts  of  sunshine  came  strag- 
gling through  the  cumuli  which  still  arched  the  sky.  There 
was  just  enough  of  sunshine  to  impart  a  soft,  quiet  look  over 
field  and  village,  adding  charm  and  beauty  to  this  captivating 
rural  scene.  The  train  rolled  along.  We  came  to  a  forest 
where  men  were  hauling  logs  to  a  sawmill.  One  foot  in 
diameter  is  a  large  log  in  Germany. 

Passing  the  forest  we  came  to  a  wide  strip  of  intervale  land, 
all  meadow,  and  scores  of  men  and  women  were  working  on 


74  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

the  hay  crop,  gamboling  about  like  children,  as  they  spread 
out  the  hay.  Many  of  the  women  had  red  dresses  on,  adding 
color  to  the  scene.  At  one  station  I  saw  women  working  on 
some  side  tracks,  digging  out  the  grass  and  weeds.  These 
Germans  are  very  ingenious,  as  they  make  and  put  up  in 
the  fields  the  most  real-looking  scarecrows  I  ever  saw.  They 
just  seemed  ready  to  talk  or  walk. 

As  we  arrived  at  Oderberg  we  passed  out  of  Southeastern 
Germany  into  Hungary.  The  emporor  of  Austria  is 
king  of  Hungary.  Here  we  again  passed  into  the  custom 
house  and  our  luggage  was  passed  through  for  Austria.  As 
we  rode  into  Hungary  the  country  began  to  get  hilly  with 
more  forest.  The  farm  work  was  the  same  as  in  Germany, 
only  the  Hungarians  in  most  places  had  posts  about  ten  feet 
long  setting  in  the  ground  not  far  apart,  with  crooked  sticks 
passing  through  them,  upon  which  they  hung  the  hay,  making 
little  ricks  of  hay,  straight  and  uniform  in  size.  Instead  of 
tile,  their  houses  were  covered  with  slate,  almost  black  in 
color.  We  began  an  upward  grade  by  a  little  river.  The  hills, 
as  we  looked  from  the  car  windows,  were  soon  replaced  by 
larger  ones,  then  by  real  mountains — the  first  we  had  seen 
since  leaving  Scotland.  Through  a  tunnel,  then  up  another 
valley,  with  the  hillsides  all  terraced  into  little  plots  of 
ground.  Wild  flowers  were  everywhere,  as  fresh  and  bright 
as  natMre  can  paint  them.  The  annual  leaf  or  deciduous  trees 
were  being  replaced  with  evergreen  trees,  many  of  them 
spruce,  all  so  delicate  in  color  and  fine  in  foliage  that  their 
drooping  branches  were  like  festoons  of  silk  woven  by  the 
wonderful  handiwork  of  nature.  Up  and  up  the  grade  we 
climbed,  then  circling  the  head  of  a  valley  to  gain  in  grade, 
with  villages  down  below  us  full  of  surprises  to  us  in  their 
features  and  architecture.  Again  another  tunnel,  and  we  were 
over  the  divide.  On  one  side  these  little  mountain  brooks  and 
springs  were  flowing  to  the  Baltic  sea ;  on  the  other  side, 
where  our  train  was  now  rolling  along,  the  waters  were  flow- 
ing to  the  Mediterranean.  The  tunnel  we  had  just  passed  was 
only  through   a   small  hill,   and  as   we  sped  along  over  and 


PROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  75 

around  these  small  mountains,  with  forests,  and  where  even 
the  mountain  tops  are  terraced  into  little,  tiny  plots  of  grain 
and  grass,  and  as  far  as  our  eye  could  look  over  the  country 
and  up  the  little  villages  for  many  miles,  we  felt  that  we  were 
not  needing  any  airships  to  sail  away  in,  but  were  really  rfd- 
ing  over  the  tops  of  the  mountains  down  into  Southeastern 
Europe. 

I  wish  I  had  the  time  to  picture  to  you  and  trace  out  the 
many  rare  bits  of  scenery,  to  portray  the  ever-changing 
views.  More  beautiful  than  diamonds,  more  lasting  to  us 
than  mere  apples  of  gold  or  silver,  will  be  the  ever-recurring 
rtiemory  of  this  midday  ride  over  this  continental  divide  in 
Europe.  I  want  to  tell  you  of  one  little  incident.  On  the 
frontier  of  Hungary,  at  Odenburg,  a  gentleman  and  a  lady 
came  into  our  compartment.  He  was  about  fifty  years  old, 
dark  in  feature,  a  type  of  southern  races  of  Europe.  Soon 
after  the  train  left  Odenburg  I  glanced  at  the  gentleman  sit- 
ting just  opposite  of  me.  I  saw  tears  in  his  eyes  and  trickling 
down  on  his  cheeks.  He  saw  I  noticed  them,  and  arose,  go- 
ing into  the  ante  room  of  the  lavatory,  where  I  heard  great 
sobs  of  anguish.  Soon  he  came  back;  the  lady  got  their  va- 
lise and  spread  out  a  lunch  that  would  tempt  an  invalid,  and, 
as  she  was  eating,  asked  him  to  eat,  in  language  unknown 
to  us.  He  shook  his  head  in  refusal,  and  after  a  while  stood 
in  the  corridor,  where  I  could  see  his  frame  tremble,  and  hear 
the  subdued  sobs.  His  deep  anguish  touched  my  heart,  and 
in  sympathy  I  wiped  away  some  tears.  After  crossing  the 
divide  his  face  changed;  he  called  for  the  lunch,  and  with 
great  avidity  ate  of  the  chicken  and  other  food;  then  after- 
wards laid  his  head  back  on  the  cushioned  rest  and  slept 
like  an  infant.  At  some  time  in  our  lives  you  and  I  have  had 
these  times  of  deep  anguish,  leaves  of  personal  history,  per- 
haps unwritten  and  unknown  to  others,  yet  so  real  to  our- 
selves. 

In  this  memorable  ride  to  Budapest,  we  rode  through  vil- 
lages in  Hungary  as  pretty  in  outline,  if  the  mountains  were 
not  as  high,  as  those  about  Redlands,  and  to  this  picture  there 


76  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

was  the  ever-present  charm  of  novelty  and  trees  and  green 
grass.  We  saw  men  working  in  the  fields  with  shirts  on  as 
you  have  seen  them  in  pictures,  while  the  women  wore  very 
picturesque  costumes.  We  rode  through  another  tunnel,  leav- 
ing forests  of  evergreen.  As  we  emerged  from  the  tunnel  we 
saw  only  forests  of  deciduous  trees,  and  over  on  a  steep  hill 
v/as  the  ruins  of  an  old  castle,  a  relic  of  the  feudal  ages.  We 
passed  several  of  these  relics. 

It  was  near  evening.  The  cumuli  in  the  skies  had  become 
mere  gossamer-looking  threads,  and  the  sun  shining  through 
them  cast  its  soft,  mellow  light  over  hill,  mountain,  farm,  field 
and  forest,  and  I  caught  something  of  its  gleam  and  sang  a 
melody  in  my  heart  full  of  happiness  and  joy.  Just  at  dusk 
we  rode  into  a  narrow  valley.  The  forests  were  gone,  the 
hills  were  terraced  to  their  tops,  and  the  peasants  were  going 
home  on  the  country  roads  from  their  work.  At  lo  p.  m.  we 
arrived  at  Budapest. 

In  the  morning  I  arose  early  and  walked.  I  soon  came  to 
the  Danube  river,  much  wider  than  the  Seine  at  Paris.  The 
current  is  strong  and  the  volume  of  water  flowing  along  is 
large.  Pleasure  boats  and  boats  of  commerce  were  plying  up 
and  down  its  broad  waters.  An  esplanade,  consisting  of  a 
walk  and  trees,  with  a  row  of  chairs  and  seats  facing  the 
river,  looked  so  inviting  that  I  entered  and  paced  along.  I 
came  to  a  large  bridge.  Paid  in  toll  four  fillers  to  cross. 
There  are  at  each  end  of  the  bridge  two  large  lions,  with 
their  shaggy  manes,  tails  and  heads,  all  carved  out  of  rock, 
looking  almost  as  real  as  life. 

I  walked  up  an  eminence  at  the  side  of  the  river,  where 
there  were  seats,  trees  and  flowers,  saw  a  well-built  city  of 
700,000  lying  on  both  banks  of  the  river,  with  many  imposing 
blocks  of  buildings.  There  are  no  sky  scrapers  in  these 
European  cities,  yet  they  are  uniform,  because  whole  streets 
are  lined  with  buildings  five  or  six  stories  high — mostly  five. 

Busy,  bustling  city — life -was  already  throbbing  in  its  streets. 
I  saw  some  men  and  women  stalking  around  barefooted, 
groups  of  women  carrying  packs  on  their  backs,  as  large  al- 


FROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  77 

most  as  they  were,  yet  many  well  dressed  people  everywhere. 
n.s  I  looked  at  the  people,  I  missed  the  blue  eyes  and  light 
features  seen  among  the  Germans.  Here  were  darker 
eyes,  and  more  swarthy  features.  I  was  coming  in  contact 
with  the  Southern  races  of  Europe.  I  felt  a  warmth  in  the  air, 
and  noted  that  even  the  clouds  had  sharper  edges  to  them, 
features  that  are  peculiar  to  and  a  part  of  more  Southern 
climes. 

I  paid  two  fillers  to  walk  through  a  tunnel  out  into  a  quieter 
part  of  the  city,  passed  a  little  market  in  the  open  air  with 
only  a  canopy  for  a  covering,  where  the  chattering  and  trading 
of  meat,  fruit  and  vegetable  venders  was  a  wonderfully  inter- 
esting scene.  I  saw  women  sitting  down,  holding  live  chickens 
in  their  laps,  with  their  heads  all  one  way,  waiting  for  a  pur- 
chaser. I  purchased  one  kilogram  of  grapes  for  forty  fillers, 
and  as  I  motioned  to  the  woman  selling  them  for  a  larger 
sack,  how  they  laughed,  with  their  sparkling  dark  eyes  and 
vivacious  ways. 

I  walked  along  and  saw  several  small  boys  and  girls,  with 
their  books  in  leather  satchels,  going  to  school,  nicely  dressed, 
with  bits  of  ribbon,  pink,  blue  and  red  in  contrast  with  gray, 
on  dress  and  hat;  and  the  boys  with  as  wide  turndown  white 
collars  as  any  American  boy.  They  trooped  merrily  along;  so 
did  I.  They  jumped  and  played  hide  and  seek.  I  wanted  to. 
They  stopped  abruptly,  as  children  do  when  a  thought  or 
whim  catches  them.  I  did.  Was  I  not  a  child?  Are  we  not 
all,  only  children,  even  though  grown  up  or  wrinkled  and 
gray  with  (so-called)  age?  Among  men  on  earth  there  is  a 
measurement  called  Time.  It  does  not  exist  in  Heaven,  there- 
fore there  are  no  old  people  in  Heaven  and  never  will  be. 
My  morning  frolic  ended,  I  walked  back  to  my  hotel. 

We  paid  one  and  one-half  krones  extra  to  the  cab  driver 
to  drive  us  about  the  city  on  our  way  to  the  station.  Streets  full 
of  people,  women  along  the  edge  of  the  walks  and  in  the  street 
with  baskets  of  fruit  to  sell,  horses  hauling  wagons  and  hitched 
to  one  side  of  the  tongue  instead  of  fills,  peasant  women,  some 
barefooted,  some  with   red  dresses  on,  many  of  them  bare- 


78  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

headed,  some  balancing  loads  on  their  heads,  many  of  them 
wearing  skirts  so  large  and  round  at  the  bottom  that  it  re- 
minded me  of  the  hoopskirts  our  mothers  used  to  wear  many 
years  ago. 

Men  were  sprinkling  the  streets,  or  rather  washing  them 
with  large  hose  hitched  to  hydrants,  and  men  and  women 
dodging  to  get  out  of  the  way.  Companies  of  soldiers  march- 
ing along  dressed  in  navy  blue  colored  clothes  with  many 
trimmings  of  reddish  colored  braid  on  coat  and  hat.  Nov- 
elty, charm,  color  and  perhaps  romance  at  every  turn  and 
step. 

We  boarded  our  train  for  Vienna  and  as  the  train  ambled 
away  we  cast  a  long,  lingering  look  over  a  low  range  of  moun- 
tains towards  Constantinople,  wanting  to  enter  the  Orient  that 
way,  where  each  hour,  as  the  cars  rolled  along,  we  could 
have  noted  a  change  in  the  people. 

We  now  saw  fields  of  Indian  corn,  quite  numerous  all  the 
way  to  Vienna,  and  vineyards,  the  first  of  each  we  had  seen 
in  Europe.  The  vineyards  are  all  trained  up  on  sticks  about 
four  or  five  feet  high,  and  the  rows  are  not  over  two  feet 
apart.  At  a  distance  the  uniform  height  and  appearance, 
still  in  full  leaf,  resembled  a  nursery  of  budded  orange  trees 
in  Redlands,  ready  to  transplant,  with  the  stakes  they  are 
tied  to  just  visible  above  the  top  of  the  green.  We  also  saw 
the  first  peach  trees,  not  in  orchards,  but  about  the  gardens 
and  towns.-  There  were  many  locust  trees  planted  by  the 
sides  of  the  country  roads. 

We  were  practically  following  up  the  Danube  river  valley  all 
day.  It  soon  began  to  widen  out  and  there  were  great  vistas 
of  as  fine  farming  land  as  any  in  the  world,  level  and  naturally 
fertile.  The  farmers  were  plowing  with  the  same  style  of  plow 
used  all  over  Europe,  with  two  wheels  in  front,  and  are 
grain  raisers — the  first  section  of  Europe  we  have  seen  so 
largely  devoted  to  grain  raising.  At  their  villages  there  were 
scores  of  large  stacks,  .not  little  pointed  ones,  but  long  and 
high,  their  harvest  of  the  summer  gathered  and  not  yet 
threshed.     In  three  places  I  saw  steam  engines  pulling  plows 


ONE    SOURCE    OF    THE    KIYER    JORDAN, 

AT   CiESARKA    PHILIPPI 


FROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  79 

across  the  field.  In  many  places  the  little  plots  of  farming 
had  given  away  to  large,  broad  fields  in  their  place.  We 
passed  many  fields  of  sugar  beets  and  men  and  women 
gathering  them ;  cars  loaded  with  them  at  the  stations.  I  never 
saw  a  finer  growth  of  sugar  beets,  just  covering  the  ground 
with  their  tops,  with  no  rows  visible  either  way.  I  do  not 
think  the  farms  looked  quite  as  prosperous  as  in  Germany,  yet 
in  many  places  a  richer  soil  naturally. 

Austria  is  not,  from  what  we  could  see,  building  up  manu- 
facturing plants  like  Germany.  The  German  farmer,  because 
of  shops  and  labor  required  to  run  them,  finds  it  more  profit- 
able to  raise  not  grain,  but  other  food.  There  are  many 
oxen  used  in  the  fields.  The  valley  narrows  as  we  passed 
Pressburg,  quite  a  city,  and  the  train  pushes  through  a  tun- 
nel. We  passed  some  steep  hillsides,  all  terraced  into  vine- 
yards, with  just  what  we  call  in  California  the  smallest  of 
cabins,  many  scores  of  them,  for  a  watcher  to  sleep  in  at 
night,  to  keep  thieves  away.  Before  reaching  Vienna  (called 
and  spelled  Wien  all  over  this  country)  we  crossed  a  broad, 
level  plain,  rich,  fertile  and  magnificent  to  look  at.  I  remem- 
bered a  bit  of  history.  Vienna  at  one  time  was  the  capital 
city  of  Europe,  rich  and  powerful.  It  led  all  other  cities 
at  that  time,  outnumbering  any  one  of  them  in  population. 
I  refer  to  the  close  of  the  Seventeenth  century.  The  Mo- 
hammedans were  sweeping  over  Europe  with  irresistible 
hordes  of  victorious  armies.  They  were  encamped  before 
Vienna,  more  than  likely  upon  this  very  plain  we  were  looking 
at.  History  tells  us  that  John  Sobieski,  a  noble  Polish  chief- 
tain, raised  an  army  of  seventy  thousand  men,  and  marched 
to  the  city's  relief.  He  came  upon  the  Mohammedan  army, 
300,000  strong,  and  at  five  o'clock  on  Sunday,  October  12,  1683, 
this  brave  and  gallant  Polish  army,  shouting  an  ever-memor- 
able battle  cry,  "Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  but  unto  thee  be  the 
glory,"  gave  battle  to  the  enemy.  It  is  a  matter  of  history 
that  after  dark  the  moon  was  totally  eclipsed,  and  these  Mo- 
hammedans whose  banner  is  the  crescent,  as  they  saw  their 
emblem  fading  from  the  sky,  fled  away  and  all  Europe  was 


80  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

saved  from  ruin  and  plunder.  As  the  gloom  of  evening  set- 
tled down  upon  this  broad  plain,  we  mused  upon  this  history 
and  could  almost  see  in  our  vision  its  history  repeated.  We 
arrived  in  Vienna  just  after  dark. 

We  saw  a  better  looking  city  than  Berlin,  with  wider  streets 
and  trees.  While  Berlin  has  its  great  street,  Under  Van 
Linden,  a  magnificent  feature  of  that  city,  Vienna  has  sev- 
eral streets  of  that  character,  open  squares  and  all  shapes  of 
triangular  spaces.  We  rode  through  the  square  where  the 
Emperor  lives  and  noted  the  large  palace  with  much  statuary 
around  and  about  it.  The  parliament  buildings  were  grand, 
and  the  courthouse  is  equally  as  imposing  and  beautiful.  The 
museum  and  other  public  buildings  are  of  that  character  which 
architects  love  to  look  at  as  they  study  design  and  effect. 
The  monuments,  statuary  on  all  sorts  of  buildings,  much  of 
it  of  rare  beauty,  is  not  equalled  by  any  other  city  we  have 
seen.  Stone  copings,  caps  to  the  windows,  pillars,  and  al- 
most everything  about  the  central  and  newest  part  of  the 
city  seem  to  be  carved  with  such  a  disregard  for  labor,  cost 
and  time,  that  the  wonder  is  when  did  this  people  accomplish 
all  this  work?  London  in  its  general  appearance  has  nothing, 
except  size,  to  compare  with  these  great  continental  cities  of 
Central  Europe.  We  saw  a  novel  way  of  sprinkling  the 
streets.  A  cart,  with  tank  in  the  usual  way,  discharging 
water  out  of  one  sprinkler  in  the  rear  and  a  man  walking 
behind,  with  a  rope  hitched  to  the  end  of  the  sprinkler  and 
with  a  stately  tread,  would  pull  the  sprinkler  first  one  way 
and  then  the  other,  as  the  wagon  moved  along. 

The  Viennese  are  a  light-hearted,  merry  people,  sipping  their 
tea  and  reading  papers  in  open  air  cafes,  where  they  love  to 
sit  and  talk  and  look  at  the  people  passing  by. 

We  boarded  our  train  and  rode  away  to  the  northwest, 
passing  into  and  up  a  valley  of  wonderful  beauty,  with  beau- 
tiful hillsides,  beautiful  homes,  bits  of  green  meadow  and 
scattering  trees.  Then  through  a  tunnel,  and  off  we  were 
dnshing  through  the  country,  over  and  around  hills,  with 
their  sloping  sides  covered  with  grass  or  forest,  looking  up 


FROM    MOSCOW   TO    MILAN.  81 

little  side  valleys,  as  pretty  as  nature  and  man  can  make  them. 
Ponds  of  water,  palatial  homes  of  stone,  trimmed  with  soft 
brilliant  colors  of  green  and  brown,  ever  passing  forest,  field, 
hill  and  dale.  Over  this  wondrous  and  captivating  rural 
scene  there  came  little  rifts  of  sunshine  from  between  the 
moving  clouds,  bathing  the  entire  landscape  with  recurring 
waves  of  light  and  shadow.  I  gazed;  my  eyes  could  not 
catch  all.  The  surfeit  of  beauty  was  too  great,  and  through 
all  the  other  senses  I  quaffed  great  draughts  of  uplifting, 
spirit  reaching  and  soul-inspiring  food,  sweeter,  I  fancy, 
than  the  heavenly  food  of  the  angels.  We  reached  an  open 
country,  speeding  by  hamlet,  village  and  farm  life  again. 
Over  to  the  left,  about  forty  miles  away,  I  began  to  notice  a 
range  of  mountains.  They  grew  in  size  as  the  hours  passed 
bj-.  I  watched  their  contour  as  they  assumed  height,  dis- 
tinctness and  character.  I  began  to  suspect  that  we  were 
approaching  the  Alps  on  their  northeast  corner.  They  were 
the  largest  mountains  yet  seen  in  Europe. 

We  passed  one  of  the  porcelain  factories  that  Austria  takes 
such  a  prominence  in.  There  was  a  village  about  it,  one 
of  the  most  ornamental  ones  I  ever  saw.  The  houses  were 
trimmed  in  beautiful  colors  of  green  and  blue,  being  all  of 
one  size.  After  this  we  passed  a  village  located  on  a  hill, 
then  came  to  and  passed  up  a  large  river.  There  were  no 
poor  houses  in  sight.  All  are  wonderfully  ornamented. 
Under  the  eaves  some  of  them  were  light  green,  and  the 
chimneys  were  tipped  in  white.  Pieces  of  forest,  no  finer 
in  any  country,  not  large  trees  but  thrifty  growing  ones.  The 
peasants  must  change  work,  as  in  one  field  cutting  their  after- 
growth of  hay  I  saw  thirty  men  mowing  hay  by  hand,  one 
after  the  other  across  the  field,  I  counted  them.  The  range 
of  mountains  at  the  left  came  nearer.  Patches  of  forest, 
farm  and  meadow  or  pasture  dotted  their  sides  where  they 
were  not  too  precipitous.  Villages  only  two  or  three  miles 
apart.  The  most  charming  combination  of  rural  life  yet 
seen,  and  as  I  write  this  the  memory  of  the  picture  is  so 
striking  tind  real  that  I  have  to  hold  on  to  the  chair  I  am 


82  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    TH£    CLOSg. 

silting  in  to  keep  fr  jm  soaring  aloft  in  some  aerial  flight  of 
thougnt,  for  fear  you  might  think  I  was  drawing  on  mere 
fancy  and  imagination  instead  of  fact.  How  true  it  is  as 
the  ?dage  reads,  "T'-uth  is  stranger  than  fiction."  We  left 
the  river  and  curved  toward  the  mountains,  with 
meadows  about  us  as  green  as  the  fields  of  Eden  ever  were, 
with  wild  flowers  cropping  out,  and  among  them  patches  of 
purple  flowers  so  delicate  in  petal  and  color  that  even  a 
king  might  covet  them  to  wear  on  his  crown.  We  came 
close  to  the  mountains.  Their  contour  had  been  rapidly 
changing.  We  now  saw  towering  peaks  standing  in  a  bold 
outline  against  the  sky,  and  other  mountains  with  great  jag- 
ged rocks  clinging  to  their  sides,  and  range  behind  range, 
until  some  peaks  were  wrapped  in  snow. 

The  train  stopped  at  Salzburgh,  just  in  the  edge  of  these 
Alpine  mountains.  It  was  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The 
air  was  cool  and  bracing,  and  the  mountains  looked  so  in- 
viting that  we  broke  our  journey,  as  our  tickets  gave  us  the 
right  to  do,  abandoned  the  train  and  walked  away.  Many 
of  the  passengers  left  the  train  at  the  same  time.  There 
were  about  twenty  hotel  carriages  or  coaches  at  the  station 
and  many  cabs.  Along  streets  lined  with  trees,  looking  like 
maple,  all  in  full  leaf,  and  turning  little  comers  of  parks  of 
flowers  we  saw  a  fine  looking  hotel,  as  they  all  are,  and 
hired  a  front  room  on  the  first  floor  from  the  roof,  to  give 
us  elevation  in  order  to  see  the  mountains,  being  ever  careful 
to  maintain  our  dignity  as  Californians  should.  I  opened 
the  front  windows  and  looked  out.  At  the  left,  in  a  private 
park  belonging  to  the  hotel.  I  saw  a  row  of  rose  bushes 
loaded  with  flowers  circling  along  a  walk,  looking  more 
like  a  row  of  flowers  in  California  than  any  that  I  had  pre- 
viously noticed.  Over  the  mountains  clouds  were  beginning 
to  gather.  On  the  street  oxen  were  walking  along,  har- 
nessed like  horses,  pulling  great  loads.  Cabs  were  flying 
about.    Well    dressed   men   and   women   were   perambulating 


FROM    MOSCOW   TO    MILAN.  83 

along  the  streets.  We  were  in  one  of  the  famous  summer 
resorts  of  Austria. 

After  adjusting  our  collars  and  cravats  and  brushing  our 
hats,  we  started  to  take  a  walk.  We  found  curio  stores 
and  most  all  other  kinds  located  on  the  most  curious,  quaint, 
crooked  and  narrow  streets  I  ever  saw,  connected  with  lit- 
tle alley  ways,  only  large  enough  for  carts  drawn  by  dogs 
or  men  and  people  to  pass  through.  There  are  other  streets, 
wide  and  nice,  but  the  business  and  trading  seemed  to  be 
done  mostly  on  the  little  streets.  We  crossed  the  river,  a 
tributary  of  the  Danube.  We  came  to  a  sheer  wall  or  preci- 
pice of  rock  with  a  tunnel  through  it.  Over  the  entrance 
there  is  much  carving  and  sculpture,  also  on  the  other  side, 
as  we  passed  through.  Beyond  this  ledge  of  rock,  many 
hundreds  of  feet  high,  and  as  long  as  we  could  see  either 
way,  and  too  steep  to  climb,  with  a  width  of  several  hun- 
dred feet,  we  found  a  beautiful  quiet  valley  full  of  fine 
homes  and  streets  lined  with  large  trees.  All  ovet  the  city, 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  are  small  and  large  parks,  flow- 
ers, many  shade  trees  of  maple,  silver  leaf  birch,  the  poplar, 
with  its  ever-restless  leaves,  elm  and  locusts,  with  others  I 
could  not  name. 

There  are  many  churches  and  large,  handsome  hotels  by 
the  score,  some  surrounded  by  parks,  others  built  up  on  some 
hill  or  crag,  and  still  others  perched  upon  a  mountain  top 
or  side,  to  catch  the  glow  of  sunset,  as  fashionable  people 
scarcely  ever  see  the  sun  rise,  except  by  accident. 

The  next  morning  I  arose  early  to  get  an  hour  or  two  of 
quiet.  It  was  before  sunrise.  The  birds  were  singing  as  I 
opened  wide  the  front  windows,  and  all  nature,  after  its 
refreshing  shower  bath,  seemed  to  be  singing  a  song  of 
thanksgiving  and  joy.  The  approaching  light  of  day  in 
the  east  revealed  an  outline  of  sharp,  rugged  Alpine  moun- 
tains, with  little  clouds  hovering  over  their  tops.  I  watched 
the  unfolding  of  day.  Just  over  the  top  of  a  jagged  peak 
the  sun  rose,  peering  through  a  cloud  with  just  enough  of 
color  and  sunshine  that  it  seemed  to  say,  "Good  morning." 


84  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Joyfully  I  returned  the  salutation  and  watched  for  it  to 
emerge  from  the  cloud,  which  it  did  in  a  few  minutes,  light- 
ing up,  as  only  the  king  of  day  can,  hill,  mountain  and  val- 
ley, while  on  bush,  tree  and  flower  and  adjacent  house  tops 
the  lingering  raindrops  caught  its  light  and  sparkled  lik^ 
real  diamonds.  The  fresh  crisp  mountain  breeze  came 
from  these  Alpine  mountains,  some  of  them  wrapped  in  beau- 
tiful snow.  As  we  walked  to  the  station  some  three  hours 
later,  the  unexpected  streets  running  in  all  directions,  the 
arcades,  unheard-of  places  for  stores,  monuments,  statues, 
and  little  parks  in  triangles  and  squares ;  with  people  in  all 
sorts  of  dress  walking  about  or  riding  in  carriages,  and  over 
it  all  the  charm  of  fine  mountain  scenery,  made  us  exclaim, 
"Beautiful  Salzburgh,  we  only  wish  that  we  could  linger 
long  within  the  portals  of  your  inviting  doors." 

As  our  train  rolled  away  there  was  woven  over  some  of 
these  sharpest  Alpine  peaks  a  wreath  of  encircling  clouds 
so  fine  in  texture  that  in  this  sparkling  bright  sunshine  they 
looked  like  crowns  of  real  lace,  finer  than  any  Brussels 
could  make,  and  were  fitting  for  these  monarchs  of  moun- 
tains to  wear.  We  soon  came  to  a  lake  on  the  left  and 
meadows  on  the  right,  with  cultivated  farms  on  the 
foothills  and  beyond  the  ever-varying  outline  of  these  bold 
appearing  mountains. 

In  this  European  trip  I  have  been  much  interested  in  watch- 
ing the  country  roads  as  they  would  swing  into  view,  some- 
times running  parallel,  and  as  there  is  much  travel  on  them, 
enabling  me  to  catch  many  views  of  country  life.  I  saw 
single  cows  hitched  to  wagons  with  poles  instead  of  fills ; 
cows  yoked  together,  oxen  traveling  along  as  brisk  as  a 
horse,  with  collars  and  tugs  to  pull  by,  with  their  mouths 
muzzled.  Men  and  women  in  variety  of  costumes — mostly 
women  carrying  bulky  loads  on  top  of  their  heads,  some- 
times balancing  them  without  touching  them  with  their  hands ; 
not  riding,  but  walking  with  an  active  step.  Morning  and 
evening  these  roads  are  traveled  much  by  the  peasants  in 
coming  and  returning  from  field  and  village. 


FROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  88 

Before  and  after  reaching  Prien,  the  pretty  lake  continued 
on  the  left  and  the  mountains  in  their  change  of  contour, 
being  large  and  rugged,  were  wonderfully  interesting.  Then 
we  came  to  the  largest  lot  of  lumber  yet  seen  at  one  place 
in  Europe  and  a  saw  mill.  Many  cars  were  loading  with 
lumber  for  market;  also  in  other  towns  the  same  features 
exist.  Now  the  road  turned  more  to  the  north,  leaving  the 
mountains  running  across  an  open  country  very  fertile  with 
farms  and  bits  of  forest,  with  their  usual  bright  look,  and  it 
is  simply  surprising  to  an  American  to  see  every  farm  so 
neat  and  their  houses  in  the  villages.  There  is  nothing  ly- 
ing around  the  houses  or  fields,  no  fences,  and  as  a  rule 
no  hedges  in  this  part  of  Europe.  We  passed  through,  or 
rather  into,  Munich.  Many  of  these  cities  have  a  large 
station  and  the  track  ends  there,  then  an  engine  hitches 
on  the  rear  of  the  train  and  away  the  train  goes,  circling  the 
city  to  resume  its  course  again.  If  the  compartment  you  are 
in  is  full,  you  will  be  riding  with  your  face  the  other  way 
after  leaving  one  of  these  cities.  This  peculiarity  exists 
mainly  in  Germany. 

Munich  is  a  large,  well-built  city  and  full  of  manufactur- 
ing. These  German  cities,  with  their  bustle  and  life  and 
crowds  of  people  taking  the  trains,  resemble  American  cities 
more  than  any  other  in  continental  Europe.  All  these  cities 
are  built  compact,  with  scarcely  any  straggling  houses.  Com- 
ing right  into  farm  and  field  as  you  leave  solid  blocks  of 
city  houses,  it  is  the  same  way  with  the  country  villages,  the 
houses  being  close  together  and  cultivated  land  coming  next 
to  the  village  on  all  sides.  The  villages  are  real  close  to- 
gether, there  being  almost  always  more  than  one  in  sight  at 
once.  Not  all  have  stations,  as  sometimes  they  will  be  a  mile 
or  two  away  from  the  road,  and  the  through  express  trains 
(which  we  always  selected)  only  stopped  at  the  large  cities. 
We  passed  several  peat  fields  where  the  farmers  have  little 
old  wooden  houses  to  store  the  peat  in  for  their  year's  use, 
and  some  had  peat  beds  on  their  own  farms.  We  passed 
Augsburgh,  which  is  quite  a  large  place,  and  soon  reached 


86  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Ulm,  a  city  with  fortifications  all  around  it.  We  here  left 
the  river  I>anube,  which  we  had  seen  at  different  times,  and 
passed  down  a  small  valley  with  miles  and  miles  of  apple 
orchards  on  the  hillsides,  not  set  in  regular  form,  but  scat- 
tered around  in  a  haphazzard  way.  Some  of  the  land  is  cul- 
tivated, but  most  of  it  is  in  meadow  or  pasture,  some  trees 
full  of  apples,  others  none,  and  they  are  all  large  in  size, 
except  some  younger  trees  not  in  bearing.  On  the  steepest 
hillsides  there  were  grape  vines  on  little  terraces,  looking 
with  their  stakes  at  a  distance  like  little  patches  of  real  com 
just  tasseling  out.  We  also  saw  after  passing  Stuttgart  many 
vegetable  gardens. 

Here  the  gloom  of  evening  settled  down  upon  us  and  we 
did  not  reach  Mayence  until  midnight,  and  the  next  day 
sailed  down  the  Rhine  to  Cologne. 

Next  morning  we  walked  on  board  the  Kaiserin  Auguste 
Victoria  at  Mayence;  rather  a  fine-looking  steamer,  yet  not 
as  large  or  handsome  as  our  Hudson  river  steamers.  All 
sorts  of  well-dressed  people  came  on  board,  and  from  all 
nations  except  Oriental.  Only  now  and  then  did  we  hear  one 
speaking  our  language. 

An  officer  of  the  boat  rang  a  bell  by  striking  it  with  a 
stick,  making  a  noise  like  a  dinner  gong,  which  was  a  sig- 
nal for  starting,  and  away  we  sailed.  A  succession  of  towns 
along  the  river's  bank,  with  an  open  country,  for  the  first 
half  hour's  sail;  then  stopping  at  Bingen,  a  large  town  where 
a  good  many  passengers  boarded  the  steamer.  The  towns 
along  the  banks  of  the  river  have  beautiful  walks  and  drives, 
ornamented  walls  and  rows  of  trees.  Between  the  towns 
the  river  banks  are  paved  with  stone.  There  are  also  many 
jetties  of  rock  to  confine  the  channel,  some  running  parallel 
with  the  river,  others  running  out  from  one  shore. 

The  open  country  was  soon  replaced  by  steep  hillsides, 
not  as  abrupt  but  as  high  as  the  Palisades  on  the  Hudson. 
In  places  they  are  very  steep,  yet  for  miles  the  entire  sweep 
or  slope  of  these  hills  are  terraced  into  little  plots  and 
planted   to   grapes.     In    many   places   a   high    stone   wall    is 


PROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  87 

built  on  the  lower  edge  of  these  little  plots  only  a  few  feet 
in  width,  to  hold  them.  Little  stone  drains  ran  from  top  to 
bottom  of  the  hill  to  carry  off  extra  water,  should  there 
be  a  hard  rain.  Every  little  nook  of  land  along  the  river 
front  has  a  village,  and  on  each  side  of  the  river  a  railway 
track  is  built,  with  trains  running  frequently  and  passengers 
waving  their  handkerchiefs  from  the  car  windows  as  they 
passed  our  steamer.  Where  a  hill  is  too  steep  to  terrace,  it 
is  covered  with  bushes.  We  met  and  passed  many  little 
steamers  towing  canal  boats.  They  were  all  painted  with 
bands  of  white,  yellow  or  a  terra-cotta  color;  even  the 
smokestacks  of  the  steamers  were  painted  with  some  bright 
band  of  color  around  it  in  the  center.  Each  steamer  only 
tried  to  tow  three  or  four  boats,  one  behind  the  other.  We 
passed  three  rafts  of  logs  during  the  day,  one  of  them  of 
considerable  size.  The  most  interesting  of  all  are  the  old 
castles;  we  probably  passed  a  score  of  them.  On  every 
steep  rock  or  pointed  hill,  there  they  were,  most  of  them  in 
ruins.  How  picturesque  they  looked,  and  I  could  almost 
fancy  that  some  plumed  knight,  covered  with  helmet,  would 
challenge  us  and  combat  our  passage.  The  larger  the  rock 
or  steep  hilltop,  the  larger  the  castle,  as  no  castles  were 
built  in  the  mediaeval  ages  except  where  an  abrupt  precipice 
of  rock  crowned  the  top  of  a  steep  place  or  small  moun- 
tain, and  then  the  castle  builders  could  construct  a  moat, 
covered  with  a  drawbridge  on  the  most  exposed  side.  All 
they  wanted  was  three  abrupt  sides  in  the  foundation  as  a 
requisite  need  in  starting  the  castle.  All  have  towers  with 
loopholes,  and  some  of  the  larger  ones  had  more  than  one 
tower.  The  work  required  to  build  one,  as  they  are  placed 
in  such  inaccessible  places,  is  simply  beyond  calculation. 

Some  one  had  repaired  one  and  was  living  in  it,  having 
painted  the  old  walls  yellow  and  put  in  windows,  the  most 
inharmonious  thing  I  ever  saw.  Their  natural  color  is  gray, 
in  keeping  with  their  age  and  surroundings.  Even  the  Ger- 
mans on  board  our  steamer  were  as  much  interested  in  look- 
ing at  these  castles  as  people  of  other  nations. 


88  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBB. 

Some  of  the  little  towns  that  had  just  room  to  build  be- 
tween the  hills  and  the  river,  are  gray  with  age,  and  must 
be  very  old.  In  many  places  the  river  was  narrow  enough  to 
throw  a  rock  from  the  steamer  to  each  bank.  As  we  jour- 
neyed, the  hills  became  smaller  and  more  sloping,  with  a 
stretch  of  land  quite  level  between  them  and  the  river. 

The  scene  changed.  The  whole  valley  then,  with  the  slop- 
ing hillsides,  were  covered  with  green  grass  and  apple  trees, 
one  of  the  prettiest  rural  scenes  in  the  world.  Let  me  draw 
another  picture.  I  will  not  need  to  tell  you  how  the  tables 
on  the  upper  decks  were  used  during  the  day — only  note 
that  waiters  stood  around  with  trays  in  their  hands.  You 
can  guess  the  rest.  About  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  dinner 
was  served  in  the  lower  saloons,  both  fore  and  aft.  We  had 
a  fine  lunch  that  we  purchased  in  Mayence,  therefore  did  not 
take  dinner.  Just  near  its  close  I  walked  by  the  dining 
room,  the  largest  one  in  the  aft  of  the  steamer,  and  as  I 
stood  by  the  tiller  I  glanced  down  the  whole  length  of 
the  two  dining  tables,  and  in  the  center  was  a  row  of  cham- 
pagne and  beer  bottles,  with  their  bright  showy  labels  glis- 
tening in  the  light,  too  numerous  to  be  counted  without  ef- 
fort and  time.  Men  and  women  were  sitting  there  by  the 
scores,  and  I  suppose  the  most  enlivening  sound  to  them 
was  the  clinking  of  their  glasses  and  the  popping  of  the 
corks  as  the  row  of  bottles  increased.  No  music  on  these 
steamers.  No  room  in  the  saloons  except  that  occupied  by 
the  dining  tables.  The  wind  was  so  cold  that  the  passengers 
crept  behind  the  smoke  stack,  pilot  house  and  a  place  where 
heat  came  from  the  boilers.  Towards  evening  the  country 
we  passed  on  either  side  of  the  river  was  level.  Far  ahead 
in  the  distance  we  saw  the  towers  of  the  Cologne  cathedral. 
We  reached  the  landing  place  a  little  after  5  o'clock  and 
landed  in  a  city  that  was  founded  38  years  B.  C  by  the  Ro- 
mans. 

How  does  the  Rhine  compare  with  the  Hudson?  The 
Hudson  is  wider,  has  larger  mountains  and  more  forests  on 
its    banks.     Nature    has    done    more    for    the    Hudson    than 


ON     THi;     KHINK, 
GERMANY. 


FROM    MOSCOW  TO   MILAN.  89 

for  the  Rhine.  Man  has  done  more  to  beautify  the  Rhine 
than  the  Hudson.  Old  castles  always  have  associated  with 
them  romance,  which  in  turn  captivates  people.  The  Rhine 
is  neat  in  appearance  all  along  its  shores.  So  is,  or  was, 
the  Hudson,  but  man  has  built  scores  of  unsightly,  sometimes 
unpainted,  buildings  along  the  Hudson,  sadly  marring  its 
beauty,  calling  them  ice  houses.  The  steamers  as  I  have 
noted  are  not  comfortable.  Those  on  the  Hudson  are 
floating  palaces  compared  with  them.  Yet  do  not  miss  sail- 
ing on  the  Rhine  when  you  have  the  opportunity,  as  there 
is  a  charm,  a  combination  of  hill  and  valley,  a  landscape 
varied  and  interesting,  something  different  than  seen  from 
any  American  river. 

In  Cologne  we  purchased  tickets  for  Rome,  nearly  eleven 
hundred  miles  away,  costing  us  one  hundred  and  eleven  marks 
and  forty  pfennigs  each.  We  wanted  to  rest  on  our  journey 
in  Switzerland,  over  the  Sabbath,  and  finding  a  good  train 
leaving  about  sunrise,  we  arranged  to  take  this  early  train. 

In  the  early  morning  light  we  cast  another  look  at  this 
great  cathedral,  the  fifth  largest  in  the  world.  As  we  rode 
away,  looking  eastward  between  some  streets,  I  saw  the  sun 
just  rising  like  a  large,  red,  round  ball.  Our  train  darted 
through  the  fortifications  and  to  my  surprise  the  country 
was  enveloped  in  a  fog  so  thick  that  for  two  or  three  hours 
we  could  not  distinguish  a  single  object.  Were  it  not  for 
the  rattle  and  bumping  of  the  train,  one  could  almost  imag- 
ine we  were  sailing  through  some  ethereal  regions  in  space. 
As  we  rode  through  the  fortifications  at  Coblentz,  another 
fortified  city  many  miles  from  Cologne,  the  fog  began  to  dis- 
appear. 

We  were  riding  up  the  Rhine  on  the  right  bank.  For  over 
two  thousand  years  this  valley  has  been  settled,  and  back 
of  that  a  history  in  the  misty  past.  As  this  misty  veil  of  fog 
kept  gathering  and  then  receding,  and,  in  connection  with 
the  sun,  playing  hide  and  seek  over  hill,  crag,  rock,  river 
and  castle,  I  kept  thinking  that  history  and  harmony  were 
really  united  like  twin  sisters,  as  I  looked  upon,  the  Rhine 


90  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

and  its  valley  this  equinoctial  September  day.  There  was 
no  wind;  one  of  those  quiet  mornings  when  all  nature  seems 
wrapped  in  some  sort  of  an  expectation.  How  dreary  and 
cheerless  you  and  I  and  everybody  would  be  in  this  old  world 
if  we  were  not  buoyed  up  by  expectation. 

At   Bingen   we   changed   trains,   getting  on   a   fast   express 
train,  leaving  the  Rhine  and  passing  up  a  small  valley  where 
the    hillsides    were    covered    with    vineyards,    all    trained    to 
stakes  for  a  trellis.     I  do  not  see  how  they  can  cultivate  be- 
tween the  rows,  as  the  rows  are  twice  as  close  as  you  see 
them  planted  in  California.    The  grapes  are  very  fine  in  fla- 
vor,  containing  but    few   seeds.     As   the   train   ambled   along 
Elmer  spread  out  our  lunch,  consisting  of  some  small  apple 
dumplings   and   some  grapes   that   he   had  purchased   in    Co- 
logne the  previous  evening.     As  he  commenced  eating  I  heard 
him  exclaim  with  much  enthusiasm,  "This  is  fit  for  a  king!" 
The  country  became  real  hilly.     The  villages,  always  close 
together,  were  gray  with  age,  and  as  we  rode  along,  with  the 
city  of  Worms  not  very  far  away,  I  thought  of  Martin  Luth- 
er, who,  more  than  any  other  man,  made  it  possible  for  Ger- 
many to   be   the   great   progressive   nation   of   Northern   Eu- 
rope.    Then  it  took  a  Bismarck,  a  man  of  iron  will,  of  great 
foresight   and   indomitable   courage,  to  mould  and   unite  op- 
posing factions  into  this  (as  I  see  it)  wonderful  German  na- 
tion.    The  hillsides  again  are  covered  with  apple  trees  and 
some  forest.    We  carr^e  to  red  soil  and  stone  quarries,  where 
the  building  stone  looked  like  red  sandstone.     Much  quarry- 
ing was  in  progress.     For  the  first  time  in  Europe,  since  we 
landed  in  Glasgow,  as  the  morning  mists  cleared  away,  could 
we  say  that  the  clouds  were  gone.     A  cool,  clear,  beautiful 
September  day,  with  just  a  little  rippling  breeze,  enough  to 
catch  each   leaf  and  twig,   enough  to  play  a  melody  on  na- 
ture's harp  of  golden  strings.     More  priceless  than  diamonds, 
of  more  value  than  pearls,  are  our  hearts  if  they  are  tuned 
by  forces  springing  from  above.     Entrancing  nature,   how  I 
love  thee !     Every  landscape  has  something  fair  to  me ;  every 
cloud  is  only  a  golden  crown,  to  sail  away  with  by  and  by. 


FROM    MOSCOW  TO    MILAN.  81 

The  valley  narrowed  to  very  sharp  hillsides,  covered  with 
beautiful  forests  of  pine.  After  passing  Neustadt  we  came 
into  a  level  farming  country,  and  again  very  old-looking  vil- 
lages, only  a  little  way  apart.  One  new  feature  in  the  land- 
scape was  some  Lombardy  poplar  trees.  We  were  in  a  vast 
plain  of  fertile  land,  with  not  a  hill  or  mountain  in  sight,  as 
our  train  sped  along  towards  Strassburg.  We  came  to  a 
hop-growing  region,  passing  hundreds  of  acres.  The  hops 
were  gathered  and  the  vines  were  dead.  In  some  fields  the 
poles  were  gathered  and  stacked  up  like  a  bivouac  of  arms ; 
in  others,  they  were  yet  standing.  I  never  saw  such  long 
poles  used  in  hop-growing  America.  They  were  fully  thirty 
feet  high. 

We  entered  through  fortifications  into  Strassburg.  These 
fortifications  had  a  moat  in  front  of  them  full  of  water.  At 
each  city  were  passengers  getting  on  and  off  the  train,  other 
trains  coming  and  going,  the  hundreds  of  all  sorts  of  people, 
the  many  amusing  incidents,  the  different  traits  in  human 
character  displayed,  with  the  hustle,  life  and  activity,  inter- 
est everybody,  and  are  one  of  the  charms  of  travel,  especially 
in  a  foreign  land. 

Soon  after  leaving  Strassburg  we  saw  to  the  right  some 
small  yet  wonderfully  pretty  mountains.  We  were  approach- 
ing the  Alps  on  the  northwest  corner  or  side.  All  the  rest 
of  the  afternoon,  like  a  panorama,  I  watched  their  contour, 
the  rapidity  of  change,  their  sides  covered  with  forest  or 
farm,  and  their  unfolding,  or  rather  enlarging,  process,  as 
we  swept  by  mountain  after  mountain,  until  by  their  altitude 
and  abruptness  of  pinnacle  or  crag  they  betokened  to  us  their 
nearness  to,  and  a  part  of,  Alpine  mountains. 

At  5  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Basel,  in  the  edge  of  Switzer- 
land. Here  our  luggage  was  inspected,  and  we  changed 
trains  after  waiting  about  an  hour.  Three  times  we  had 
passed  into  Germany,  circling  the  empire,  until  we  began  to 
feel  at  home  among  its  people.  We  were  among  another  peo- 
ple, not  quite  so  regular  in  feature,  of  shorter  build,  and 
on  the  average  a  little  plainer  in  their  looks.     As  we  rode 


92  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

away  from  Basel  we  soon  left  the  banks  of  the  Rhine  and 
its  valley,  which  for  a  short  distance  we  had  found  again, 
and  began  passing  up  a  lovely  little  valley,  with  apple  trees 
scattered  around,  white  houses  with  green  blinds,  pastures 
as  green  as  ever  grew,  through  tunnels,  around  mountains 
and  across  the  country,  until  darkness  shut  out  the  scene. 

Just  before  9  o'clock  in  the  evening  our  train  reached  Lu- 
cerne. We  walked  about  to  get  a  moderate-priced  room  to 
our  liking  among  the  hotels.  We  saw  a  pretty  lake  and 
steamers  on  it,  and  we  wanted  a  room  where  we  could  look 
out  upon  the  lake.  There  were  lots  of  people  walking  about , 
light  and  shadow  everywhere.  Up  in  the  fourth  story  of  a 
fine  hotel  we  found  a  room  just  to  our  liking,  looking  to  the 
east,  catching  the  whole  lake  and  two  streets  coming  to  a 
square  in  front.  We  paid  our  usual  price,  eight  francs,  with 
every  convenience,  and  feather  beds  as  heretofore,  to  cover 
us  with  at  night,  with  electric  lights  and  attendants. 

I  arose  early  Sunday  morning  and  looked  to  the  east  from 
our  hotel  to  see  the  surroundings.  It  was  before 
sunrise.  This  entire  lake  on  which  Lucerne  is  sit- 
uated at  its  outlet  for  several  miles  was  in  sight.  For  over 
a  mile  directly  facing  our  window  is  a  beautiful  promenade, 
with  trees  each  side,  clipped  low,  yet  sufficiently  high  for 
shade,  and  another  wide  walk  between  these  trees,  and  a 
nicely  built  stone  embankment  aligning  the  lake  shore.  On 
the  left  of  the  walks  is  the  carriage  drive,  and  farther  to  the 
left  many  large,  fine  hotels  fronting  the  lake.  For  view 
and  scenery  we  had  one  of  the  best  rooms  in  the  city.  I 
wanted  to  see  the  sunrise.  I  saw  it  was  coming  up  over  a 
high  mountain  and  in  range  of  the  lake.  Only  a  faint  trace 
of  any  clouds  was  in  sight,  just  a  few  films  of  cumuli,  so 
fine  that  they  looked  like  fine  threads  of  gold  thrown  up 
against  the  sky;  no  wind,  yet  the  lake  was  covered  with  rip- 
ples, so  light  that  its  surface  looked  like  the  tracing  of  an 
architect's  pencil  on  a  mirror  of  silver.  The  lake  lay  in 
repose,  waiting  for  the  king  of  day.  Nearer  and  nearer  this 
Alpine   mountain   inclined   its   top  to   the  coming  sun.     The 


FROM    MOSCOW   TO    MILAN.  93 

few  threads  of  gold  in  the  sky  caught  the  coming  glow  and 
in  turn  by  a  reflex  wave  traced  its  golden  presence  over  the 
little  trembling  ripples  until  this  whole  lake  resembled  a 
mass  of  golden  butterflies  shaking  their  wings  of  welcome  to 
the  coming  sunrise.  Soon  the  advent  of  the  sun  caught 
crag,  peak  and  lake  in  its  brightness  and  the  golden  colors 
melted  away,  as  they  had  fulfilled  their  mission  in  the  usher- 
ing in  of  the  day. 

Handsome  little  steamers  were  sailing  on  the  lake.  After 
breakfast  we  started  out  to  find  an  English  church.  We  came 
to  the  largest  church  in  Lucerne,  where  a  chime  of  bells 
was  ringing.  Many  people  were  going  in,  and  we  attempted 
to.  This  large  church  with  no  seats  was  so  crowded  with 
men  and  women  stanaing  up  that  we  could  only  just  get 
inside  the  open  doors.  Most  of  the  men  were  standing  on 
the  right  side  and  the  women  on  the  left.  It  is  a  Catholic 
church,  and  while  standing  there  we  concluded  that  they 
were  oflfering  incense,  as  we  saw  smoke  ascend  from  near 
the  altar.  The  singing  and  music  were  fine.  We  walked 
along  to  the  English  church  not  far  away.  We  were  just  in 
time  for  the  services,  which  were  conducted  according  to 
the  church  of  England's  established  way.  About  five  hun- 
dred people  were  present,  mostly  from  England,  a  very  few 
from  America,  including  these  two  stray  Californians.  The 
sermon  was  short  and  read  from  the  pulpit  in  the  manner 
of  an  essay.  I  will  only  quote  one  sentence  from  the  sermon 
which  will  picture  to  you  its  standard:  "Happiness  is  eter- 
nal life."  In  the  closing  prayer  I  noticed  the  president  of 
the  United  States  was  particularly  mentioned. 

We  walked  along  the  fine  promenade  already  described. 
The  day  was  an  ideal  one ;  soft  summer  breezes,  bright  sun- 
shine, one  of  those  days  wherein  nature  attires  herself — with 
her  sweetest  garb,  finer  than  royalty  ever  wore.  We  were 
surprised  at  the  scene.  Here  was  represented  some  of 
the  wealth  and  fashion  of  Europe.  Silks,  laces  and  diamonds, 
tan  shoes  (which  are  still  worn  in  Europe)  and  white  ones 
as  fine  and  delicate  in  color  as  any  slippers  that  Cinderella 


94  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

ever  wore.  Each  lady  had  a  dextrous  way  of  lifting  her 
dress  skirt  (some  of  you  lady  readers  know  how  it  is  done), 
just  a  little  revealing  underskirts  of  such  varied  colors  that 
in  their  blend  would  eclipse  the  rainbow,  or  put  a  peacock 
to  shame.  Culture,  yes ;  perhaps  not  of  the  Boston  aesthetic 
kind.  Every  gentleman  looked  like  a  walking  fashion  plate 
of  the  most  approved  Parisian  style.  Many  of  the  ladies 
had  on  soft,  brilliant  costumes,  assuming,  as  fashion  often 
does,  a  dreamy,  languid  look. 

Along  the  water's  edge  we  saw  a  row  of  small  boats  with 
a  flag  on  each  one.  During  the  afternoon  as  we  sat  in  our 
room  four  steamers  sailed  off  on  the  lake  loaded  with  people, 
and  there  were  many  smaller  boats  flitting  about. 

Towards  evening  we  started  out  for  a  walk  and  we  wanted 
to  see  the  sunset.  Our  course  again  lay  over  the  promenade. 
What  a  change!  Wealth  and  fashion  had  disappeared,  more 
than  likely  out  riding  or  sailing,  or  getting  ready  for  a  "table 
d'hote"  dinner.  We  now  saw  mostly  Swiss  people,  neatly 
dressed  as  one  would  see  in  an  American  city.  We  walked 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  out  on  the  lake  shore  and  sat 
down  to  see  a  sunset  in  the  Alps.  In  the  south  we  saw  the 
largest  mountains  with  large  snow  fields  on  them.  In  the 
west  the  principal  one  is  Pilatus,  quite  close  to  the  lake. 
Just  then  I  heard  Elmer  say,  "No  wonder  people  like  to 
climb  these  mountains  and  risk  their  lives."  He  had  caught 
something  of  the  charm  and  beauty  that  surround  these  moun- 
tains more  than  many  others. 

The  summer  climate  of  Europe  is  much  cooler  on  an  aver- 
age than  in  America.  At  about  8000  feet  snow  lines  begin 
to  be  perpetual.  All  around  this  mountain  lake  we  could 
see  green  grass,  apple  trees  and  pieces  of  forest,  except  now 
and  then  some  jagged  rocks  or  a  precipitous  mountain  side. 
The  shadows  cast  by  the  setting  sun  began  to  lengthen  over 
lake,  forest  and  field,  while  on  yonder  mountain  tops  the 
snow  fields  and  glaciers  began  to  assume  an  unwonted  bril- 
liancy in  color.  Their  time  for  evening  dress  had  arrived, 
and  as  the  minutes  passed  I  watched  their  changing  colors. 


FALLEN    STATUE    OF    RAMESES    IL 

MEMPHIS. 


FROM     MOSCOW    TO    MILAN.  95 

First  a  spotless  white,  then  a  pleasing  gray,  and  later  a  tint 
of  color  rivaling  a  bed  of  coral.  After  sunset  from  our  point 
of  view  the  scene  again  changed.  On  the  lake  the  shadows 
became  sombre,  and  all  about  us  the  gloom  of  darkness  was 
gathering.  Upon  those  mountain  tops  the  sun  still  lingered. 
The  slopes  of  snow  and  ice  became  like  shining  fields  of  bur- 
nished brass.  For  many  minutes  the  scene  continued,  then 
another  change.  Just  before  sunset  those  immense  snow 
fields  slowly  changed  in  color  to  a  soft  red,  almost  as  bril- 
liant as  red  velvet,  and  at  sunset  the  sky  caught  their  reflec- 
tion in  hues  of  pink  and  red,  and  in  turn,  peak  after  peak, 
rock,  crag,  forest,  field  and  lake,  were  covered  with  this  royal 
mantle — the  after-gleam  of  sunset,  a  radiance  so  far  above 
the  natural,  that  man  can  only  imitate,  never  equal.  As  we 
walked  back  to  Lucerne  just  before  dark,  we  again  looked 
at  these  giants  of  mountains  faintly  outlined  against  the  sky. 
Peak  and  snow  fields  were  there,  looking  so  cold  and  gray 
ana  still  that  I  wondered  as  I  saw  the  stars  twinkling  so 
merrily  if  the  reflex  glory  of  all  the  sunsets  on  the  earth  was 
the  cause  of  their  twinkling  twinkles. 

About  9  o'clock  that  evening  as  I  sat  in  the  window  of  our 
room  looking  out  on  this  beautiful  lake,  I  noticed  a  streak 
of  coming  light  in  the  east;  I  watched  and  waited.  With 
tender  softness  the  moon,  as  if  in  apology  for  being  the  "lesser 
light,"  appeared,  nearly  full  in  size;  and  in  this  clear  moun- 
tain sky  there  came  forth  from  the  greatest  electric  light  in 
the  universe  a  flood  of  gentle  sweetness  wherein  lovers  love 
to  talk  the  waning  hours  away,  until  their  hearts  are  melted 
in  tenderness,  and  promises  are  made  unto  the  never-ending 
day. 

The  next  morning  as  I  arose,  a  falling  mist  enveloped 
mountain,  city  and  lake.  We  took  a  brisk  walk  to  see  that 
wonderful  work  of  sculpture  by  Thorwaldson,  one  of  the 
greatest  of  sculptors.  On  the  face  of  a  huge  precipice  a  niche 
is  cut  in  the  rock  in  the  form  of  a  half  circle,  and  at  the  same 
time  a  lion  is  carved  out  of  the  same  rock,  lying  in  repose  as 
if  asleep,  as  real  as  life.     I  think  it  is  the  finest  piece  of 


96  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

sculpture  I  ever  saw.  Even  at  that  early  hour,  and  in  the 
falling  mist,  others  stood  in  the  grotto  where  the  lion  is, 
looking  spell-bound  at  this  wonderful  work.  We  walked 
about  among  the  many  curio  stores,  and  saw  beautiful  in- 
laid work  on  tables  and  chairs,  and  many  handsome  carv- 
ings in  wood.  These  Swiss  people  are  ingenious,  and  lovers 
of  beauty,  as  in  the  poor  peasant's  home  one  will  see  bloom- 
ing flowers  in  their  windows.  We  again  boarded  our  train 
at  9  o'clock  Monday  morning  for  Milan,  in  Italy.  We  never 
left  a  place  where  our  hearts  were  so  wrapped  up  with  its 
scenic  beauty  of  mountain  and  lake  as  Lucerne. 

A  dense  fog  prevented  further  sight-seeing.  It  was  like 
sailing  along  in  phantom  clouds  of  mist,  a  relief,  however, 
as  continual  sight-seeing  is  extremely  tiresome.  How  re- 
freshing to  lean  back  on  the  cushioned  seat  and  let  brain, 
muscle,  mind  and  nerves  take  a  rest.  I  snuggled  down  in 
the  soft  cushions,  closed  my  eyes  and  sank  into  a  sort  of 
rhapsody,  where  in  my  heart  I  was  singing  little  bits  of  song 
and  I  am  sure  nobody  but  the  angels  heard  me,  except  Om- 
nipresence. A  sudden  jolt  of  the  train  awakened  me  after 
two  hours  of  solid  rest. 

We  were  near  the  head  of  the  lake.  The  mist  was  lifting 
and  on  the  hillsides  was  the  usual  scattering  of  apple  trees 
and  the  greenest  of  grass.  What  a  profusion  of  wild  flow- 
ers, as  fresh  and  bright  as  any  that  ever  bloomed  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden.  The  forests  of  fir  are  very  fine  in  foliage 
and  of  the  darkest  green.  I  have  seen  fir  forests  in  Canada, 
British  Columbia  and  in  Alaska,  but  none  rivaling  these  in 
beauty. 

The  home  life  of  these  hardy  mountain  people,  their  quaint 
houses  and  way  of  living  up  in  these  mountain  valleys,  were 
very  interesting.  In  some  places  we  noticed  many  piles  of 
small  rocks  heaped  up  so  the  grass  for  grazing  could  have 
free  growth.  I  became  convinced  that  in  all  things  this 
mountain  scenery  was  the  finest  I  had  ever  seen,  and  I  have 
looked  at  most  of  the  principal  mountains  north  of  Mexico 
and  south  of  the  Arctic  circle  in  America.    Here  is  boldness 


FROM     MOSCOW    TO    MILAN.  97 

until  many  of  these  mountain  sides  and  tops  are  too  steep  to 
climb.  At  Erstfield  a  glacier  was  quite  near  between  two 
mountain  peaks. 

Our  train  passed  through  tunnels,  some  of  them  built  on  a 
curve.  Three  times  we  passed  one  village,  until  we  were 
far  above  it,  as  we  had  gained  grade  sufficient  to  catch  an- 
other valley.  There  are  in  all  fifty-six  tunnels,  aggregating 
twenty-five  miles.  The  scenery  was  charming;  villages  in 
little  nooks,  with  apple  trees  around  them,  valleys  and  gorges 
so  narrow  and  the  mountains  so  steep  that  sunrise  or  sun- 
set occurs  near  noon;  in  other  places  wide  slopes  and  trees 
and  grass  near  the  snow  line. 

Away  from  the  line  of  travel,  where  money  is  not  being 
scattered,  the  people  are  poor,  as  they  have  not  much  to 
sell.  We  entered  St  Gothard  tunnel,  piercing  this  range  in 
solid  granite.  Our  train,  running  quite  rapidly,  was  seven- 
teen minutes,  as  our  watches  indicated,  in  passing  through. 
As  we  began  to  descend  on  the  other  side  we  found  a  suc- 
cession of  tunnels  and  mountains  high  and  rugged.  The 
houses  began  to  change.  Their  roofs  were  flat  stones  rudely 
dressed,  with  flat  stones  for  the  ridge,  and  the  villages  looked 
so  old  and  gray  that  I  really  believe  many  of  the  houses 
were  built  hundreds  of  years  ago,  as  their  windows  were 
just  little  ones  of  about  four  small  lights.  There  are  many 
chestnut  trees,  with  nuts  on  them,  also  vineyards ;  many  little 
streams  of  water  came  rushing  down  the  mountain  sides. 

At  Lugano  several  passengers  got  off  the  train,  as  some  of 
the  Italian  lakes  are  near,  yet  we  were  still  in  Switzerland. 
Here  we  came  to  a  very  pretty*  lake,  and  passed  around  it 
and  out  into  an  open  country,  coming  to  a  station  called 
Chiasso.  We  were  now  in  Italy,  and  were  marshalled  into 
the  custom  house,  our  luggage  examined,  and  were  required 
to  sign  our  tickets,  then  turned  out  into  a  little  place  in  the 
station,  fenced  in,  where  we  had  just  room  enough  to  stand 
up,  and  waited  until  an  Italian  train  was  made  up  before 
anybody  was  allowed  to  get  out  of  this  cooped-up  place. 
What  a  scramble  for  seats  in  the  train  as  soon  as  we  were 


98  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

let  out!    We  just  had  the  privilege  of  standing  up  for  a  few 
miles  until  we  could  get  seats. 

It  was  getting  dark,  and  the  first  town  we  came  to  had  a 
chain  of  electric  lights  running  up  a  mountain.  We  arrived 
at  Milan  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  what  a  crowd  of 
people  there  was  just  outside  of  the  gate  to  pass  in.  They 
are  excitable,  like  the  French  people.  We  found  a  German 
on  the  train  who  could  speak  English  a  little.  It  seems  real 
strange  to  hear  lots  of  talking  all  day,  and  yet  not  under- 
stand a  word.  When  this  German  found  out  we  were 
going  around  the  world  and  could  talk  nothing  but  Eng- 
lish, he  said :  "We  would  call  this  lots  of  cheek  up  in  Ger- 
many." 


IV. 

^rem  iJlcme  to  dmi(rna. 


Next  morning  at  Milan  I  was  awakened  as  early  as  four 
o'clock  by  the  ringing  of  many  bells  in  the  cathedrals  and 
churches.  I  suppose  it  was  early  morning  mass.  While  com- 
pleting my  toilet  I  noticed  our  three  suit  cases  and  an  English 
hold  all  sitting  on  the  floor,  and,  remembering  that  we  had  gone 
thousands  of  miles  in  Europe  with  only  one  of  our  smallest 
satchels,  leaving  the  rest  at  Cologne,  and  wanting  nothing,  I 
said  to  Elmer:  "What  is  in  these  satchels,  anyway?"  Quick 
as  a  flash  the  reply  came,  "Everything  under  the  sun !"  We 
are  just  packing  a  lot  of  things  around  the  world,  and  many 
of  them  we  will  never  look  at.  His  reply  was  ^o  funny  that 
I  sat  down  and  laughed  so  long  that  I  could  hardly  talk. 
How  unwise  we  were !  We  were  wishing  somebody  would 
steal  part  of  them. 

Milan  has  seven  miles  of  fortifications  and  is  a  very  old 
city,  yet  it  is  the  most  prosperous  in  all  Italy.  One  reason 
is  that  there  is  more  manufacturing;  another  that  it  is 
in  a  more  fertile  country,  being  in  the  center  of  the  plains 
of  Lombardy. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  walked  to  the  cathedral,  the  sec- 
ond largest  church  in  Europe.  The  roof  is  one  m^iss  of 
spires.  There  are  about  2000  carved  statues  on  the  outside 
and  some  3000  out  and  in,  including  the  other  pieces  of  carv- 
ing. The  three  large  stained  windows  behind  the  choir  are 
as  large,  except  curved  at  the  top,  as  the  side  of  an  ordinary 
two-story  house;   we   admired  it  very  much.    To  give  you 


100  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

some  idea  as  to  the  size,  there  are  52  pillars  12  feet  in 
diameter,  to  support  roof  and  interior.  For  a  long  time  we 
wandered  around  these  immense  pillars,  looking  at  the  dome 
inside  220  feet  high  and  the  nave  155  feet  high.  As  I  am 
writing  this  we  have  seen  the  costliest  and  four  of  the  larg- 
est churches  in  the  world,  yet  this  is  to  our  eyes  the  hand- 
somest. The  old  stained  windows,  their  wonderful  figures, 
each  complete,  not  just  stained  glass  but  all  real  paintings 
in  the  coloring  of  the  glass.  It  is  about  480  feet  long  and 
240  feet  wide.  We  returned  to  our  hotel,  packed  up  our 
luggage,  ordered  a  cab  and  at  9  o'clock  we  were  on  a  train 
and  car,  marked  as  it  is  spelled  here,  "Roma." 

As  our  train  rolled  away  from  Milan  out  into  a  flat  level 
country,  we  saw  for  miles  meadows  and  fields  laid  off  into 
small  tracts  and  trees  on  their  edges.  The  land  fertile 
and  water  close  to  the  surface.  Some  of  the  fields  have  fur- 
rows for  irrigation  across  them.  The  trees  were  quite  un- 
even, as  they  cut  the  tops  off  for  wood.  One  place  we  saw 
some  cottonwoods,  not  many;  in  places  were  peach 
and  plum  trees.  The  soil  is  a  light  clay.  I  saw  four  yoke 
of  oxen  pulling  one  plow.  As  we  came  to  larger,  dry  look- 
ing fields  dust  was  flying  on  the  country  roads.  The  country 
changed.  We  passed  along  a  river  bed,  almost  dry,  where 
women  were  washing  clothes  on  flat  rocks  by  the  pools  of 
water,  and  spreading  the  clothes  to  dry  on  the  gravel.  The 
hills  on  either  side  were  covered  with  vineyards,  all  trained 
to  stakes.  A  train  load  of  soldiers  passed  us  while  standing 
at  a  station,  standing  up  in  the  cars  holloing  loudly  and  wav- 
ing their  hats.  Their  white  uniforms  looked  dirty  and  much 
in  contrast  with  a  car  of  officers  on  the  same  train,  all 
dressed  in  blue  uniforms  with  gold  and  red  stripes.  Up  along 
this  dry  bed  of  a  river,  with  little  water  in  it,  into  a  narrow 
canyon,  hills  getting  large  enough  for  mountains,  through  tun- 
nels into  another  valley,  where  high  mountain  sides  were 
covered  with  terraced  vineyards,  and  clouds  gathering.  Then 
through  a  long  tunnel  into  another  valley,  with  brilliant 
warm  sunshine,  and  not  a  cloud  in  sight. 


PnOM    ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  101 

As  we  passed  along,  many  of  the  hills  and  mountains 
seemed  to  have  a  church,  monastery  or  shrine  built  on  them. 
Then  we  came  to  a  small  town  with  fortifications  behind  it, 
on  a  range  of  hills,  gray  with  age.  I  saw  oleander,  palm, 
fig  and  a  few  very  poor  looking  orange  trees.  Then  through 
another  tunnel  and  into  the  city  of  Genoa,  the  birthplace  of 
Columbus.  Climbing  hills  on  the  left  lay  the  city,  with  the 
sun  shining  brightly  and  the  air  full  of  charm  and  warmth, 
a  possession  belonging  only  to  southern  climes.  As  we  left 
Genoa  the  mountain  sides  to  the  left  were  covered  with  olive 
trees.  The  higher  mountains  were  bare  and  brown,  and 
the  grass  that  once  grew  was  dry.  There  was  no  wind,  not 
enough  to  rustle  the  leaves,  and  on  our  right  the  Mediterra- 
nean sea  looked  as  placid  and  calm  as  any  lake  you  ever 
saw.  Unlike  the  great  oceans,  there  are  no  large,  rolling 
waves,  only  a  small  tide  of  perhaps  a  foot,  and  just  little 
lazy  ripples.  The  most  beautiful  and  historic  sea  to  sail  on 
in  the  world.  The  gardens  had  many  tomatoe  vines  trel- 
lised  up  like  garden  beans.  We  left  the  coast  and  rode 
through  a  rolling  country,  with  the  hills  and  slopes  covered 
with  vineyards  and  olive  trees  all  intermingled  together. 
Then  we  passed  a  country  where  everything  was  so  dry  and 
rocky  that  nothing  could  grow.  Farther  along  at  every  sta- 
tion we  saw  great  dray  loads  of  white  marble,  and  oflF  to  the 
left  whole  mountain  sides  of  marble,  as  white  as  any  snow 
field  ever  seen.  Villages  are  many  miles  apart,  each  with  its 
own  church,  with  the  cross  on  top  proclaiming  the  kind. 
On  the  country  roads,  dusty  and  poor  compared  with  other 
roads  in  Europe,  there  were  mostly  ox  teams,  some  of  the 
tongues  of  their  carts  crooked  upward  at  the  end  way 
above  the  oxen's  backs.  The  gloom  of  night  settled  around 
us  and  just  before  midnight,  as  the  moon  rose  in  the  east, 
casting  its  quiet,  mellow  look  over  hill,  valley  and  mountain, 
our  train  darted  through  some  walls  and  we  were  in  great, 
imperial  Rome,  once  and  for  many  years  the  greatest  city 
in  the  world  and  its  proud  capital.  Jumping  into  a  cab  we 
were  hastily  driven  to  the  hotel  we  selected,  peering  with  cu- 


102  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

rious  eyes  into  the  strange  streets.  As  the  driver  came  to 
the  hotel  he  blew  a  long  whistle.  The  hotel  entrance  lit  up, 
porters  grabbed  our  baggage.  We  made  terms  with  the  clerk 
for  our  room,  as  he  spoke  a  little  English.  We  were  whisked 
up  stairs  and  soon  were  sleeping  as  quietly  in  this  city  of  ro- 
mance, history  and  tradition  as  we  ever  did  in  America. 

The  ruins  of  ancient  Rome  are  so  great,  its  history  so 
mighty  that  as  I  take  up  my  pen  to  give  you  a  little  peep  at 
some  of  the  wonderful  ruins,  and  weave  into  the  picture  a 
little  of  thought,  association  and  feeling,  I  am  appalled  at  the 
undertaking.  We  walked  to  St.  Peter's  church,  said  to  have 
Seen  built  on  the  Campus  Martus,  at  the  spot  St.  Peter  was 
crucified,  with  his  head  downward  at  his  own  request.  The 
approach  to  the  church  is  on  a  colossal  scale.  Some  two  or 
three  acres  of  ground  are  in  an  open  circle,  with  immense 
pillars  in  a  semi-circle  forming  support  for  a  roof  all  capped 
with  mighty  statues  on  each  side.  There  are  at  least,  I  be- 
lieve, about  300  of  these  pillars,  yet  I  did  not  count  them. 
Up  many  stone  steps  we  ascended  to  the  church,  looking  at 
gigantic  statues  on  the  roof  and  all  about  us  of  apostles, 
kings,  popes  and  saints.  We  walked  into  the  largest  and 
costliest  church  on  earth,  costing  over  $200,000,000.  Let  me 
give  you  the  size  inside,  835  feet  long,  330  feet  wide,  and  447 
feet  high.  There  are  no  stained  windows,  yet  the  gilt  and 
gold  with  precious  stones  and  alabaster  columns,  together 
with  its  vast  size,  awaken  a  feeling  of  wonder.  The  costly 
altars  with  their  lights  burning  and  worshipers  before  them 
continually  during  the  day  is  an  impressive  sight.  Down  a 
little  short  stairway,  where  lights  are  perpetually  kept  burn- 
ing, is  Peter's  tomb,  in  the  center  of  the  church.  Many  of 
the  faithful  go  down  this  stairway,  an  attendant  opens  the 
door  and  they  look  in  and  cross  themselves.  There  among 
the  two  dozen  or  more  lights  there  is  at  the  foot  of  the  stair- 
way two  alabaster  columns  supporting  two  lights,  and  I  no- 
ticed that  the  attendant  struck  a  match  for  each  party  and 
had  them  look  through  the  alabaster  towards  the  match. 
Transparent   alabaster  is  very  rare  and  expensive.     An  at- 


REBUILDING     RUINS, 

KARNAK,    EGYPT. 


FROM    ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  103 

tendant  took  us  into  some  chapels  and  the  cardinal's  room 
and  pulled  away  some  curtains  on  the  walls,  showing  us  some 
of  the  grandest  paintings  in  the  world  by  Raphael.  Bible 
scenes  looking  as  real  as  life.  Marble  floors,  mosaic  pave- 
ments and  great  carved  statues  on  pedestals  or  in  niches  in 
the  walls,  illustrating  the  history  of  the  Catholic  church, 
greeted  us  everywhere.  We  gave  this  attendant  one  franc 
and  told  him,  who  understood  our  language  a  little,  we 
wanted  to  climb  to  the  top  of  the  dome.  He  called  another 
attendant,  who  took  us  to  the  stairway  and  said  a  few  words 
to  its  keeper,  who  showed  us  that  permission  to  ascend  the 
dome  must  be  obtained.  We  turned  to  go  out  but  he  waved 
us  back  with  his  hand  and  we  climbed  t©  the  top  of  the  dome 
from  the  inside,  then  by  a  door  to  the  outside.  A  little 
money  opens  doors  without  formal  permission.  Below  us,  on 
and  about  its  seven  hills,  so  signally  mentioned  in  prophecy, 
lay  the  modern  city  of  Rome,  of  about  450,000  population. 
How  mighty  when  millions  of  people  lived  here.  We  traced 
the  muddy  Tiber  in  its  crooked  winding  way  through  the 
city.  We  saw  in  the  distance  the  historical  Appian  way  in 
its  approach  to  and  entrance,  by  one  of  the  fourteen  gates, 
through  the  walls.  —  -  -'. 

To  the  south  and  west  of  Rome  the  country  is  level,  to  the 
northeast  the  Alban  mountains,  and  between  us  and  the 
mountains  the  Roman  Campagna.  Every  spot  is  historical. 
The  present  city  is  unlike  other  cities,  not  much  color,  gray 
roofs,  no  smoke  and  several  arched  bridges  crossing  the 
Tiber.  We  also  walked  around  on  the  roof  of  the  church, 
looked  down  upon  the  Vatican  with  its  fine  gardens  and 
playing  fountains,  where  the  Pope  lives  with  his  retinue  of 
two  thousand  persons  about  him  and  eleven  hundred  rooms 
to  put  them  in. 

We  wanted  to  follow  Paul  over  the  Ossian  Way  out  of 
the  West  Gate,  but  since  Paul's  time  called  St.  Paul's  Gate, 
to  where  he  was  beheaded  two  miles  away  from  the  city 
walls.  We  succeeded  in  finding  a  cabman  who  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  route  and  could  talk  a  little  English.     We 


104  A    CALIFORNiAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

commenced  at  the  Mamertine  prison,  where  Paul  was  in- 
carcerted.  We  descended  into  the  very  dungeon;  (in  Paul's 
time  there  was  no  stairway  leading  to  it,  only  an  aperture 
in  the  top,  which  we  saw,  large  enough  to  let  a  man  down 
or  his  food  through.)  We  had  to  have  candles  in  this  ter- 
rible place,  almost  circular,  about  twelve  feet  across.  This 
prison  is  cut  out  of  solid  rock  and  on  one  side  there  is  a 
passage  way,  where  we  saw  three  holes  through  the  rock 
for  the  ropes  used  to  strangle  prisoners  with.  This  secret 
passage  way  we  saw  extended  to  the  Tiber,  under  the  old 
city,  where  the  prisoners'  bodies  were  thrown  in.  It  made 
us  shudder  in  this  prison,  yet  brave,  patient  Paul  withstood 
all,  through  his  and  our  Christ.  We  rode  down  a  crooked, 
narrow  street  to  the  banks  of  the  Tiber.  When  Paul  was 
led  out  of  the  prison  he  doubtless  saw  the  great  Roman  Fo- 
rum, the  palaces  of  the  kings  or  emperors  on  Palatine  Hill 
and  great  triumphal  arches  which  stood  just  by  the  prison. 
One  thing  that  Paul  saw  (except  the  clouds,  if  any  that 
day  in  the  sky)  was  the  Temple  of  Hercules,  standing  near 
the  river's  brink  and  built  about  one  hundred  years  before 
Christ,  The  roof  is  new  but  the  pillars,  except  one,  are 
there  just  the  same.  We  passed  out  of  the  old  gate  and  drove 
along  in  an  almost  open  country.  We  came  to  St.  Paul's 
church,  where  it  is  claimed  the  remains  of  St.  Paul  are.  It 
is  the  most  costly  church  of  its  size  in  the  world,  costing 
over  sixty-five  millions  of  dollars.  It  is  constructed  of  the 
finest  marble  from  Africa,  in  all  tints  and  colors,  rivaling 
the  rainbow.  Upon  its  sides  are  the  paintings  of  all  the 
Popes,  287  of  them ;  and  there  are  great  marble  statues  of 
all  the  apostles.  Some  of  the  finest  paintings  the  earth  affords 
we  saw  here,  one,  the  Ascension,  another  Heaven  opened  and 
the  angels  flying  around  at  the  stoning  of  Stephen.  The  en- 
tire ceiling  is  covered  with  gold  and  underneath  pillars  of 
alabaster,  some  of  them  transparent,  the  finest  that  the  earth 
affords.  We  were  simply  filled  with  wonder,  and  almost  tip- 
toed about  amid  all  this  splendor.  We  drove  along  a  little 
narrow  country  road  with  scarcely  a  house  in  sight.     Still 


FROM  ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  105 

following  the  route  Paul  traveled  to  his  place  of  execution, 
and  over  in  the  ary  brown  fields  I  saw  some  beautiful  wild 
flowers;  I  alighted  from  the  carriage  and  gathered  some  of 
them.  A  strange,  sad  tenderness  came  into  my  heart,  a  few 
tear  drops  fell,  then  as  I  looked  at  hill,  mountain  and  valley, 
overarched  with  dark  looking  storm  clouds,  these  beautiful 
wild  flowers  of  pink,  purple,  blue  and  yellow  again  caught 
my  attention  and  thought 

All  over  central  and  southern  Italy  and  on  every  road  we 
traveled  in  and  about  Rome,  nowhere  did  I  see  so  many  wild 
flowers  as  on  this  Ossian  Way  outside  of  the  city's  gates. 

i 
Did  nature  hear  the  prayer  of  Paul 
And  wear  these  royal  robes  for  all? 
She  truly  did,  as  I  could  see 
With  the  eye  of  sight  given  by  Thee. 

The  angels  hovered  over  all  the  Way 

As  Paul  walked  along  that  eventful  day — 

Something  of  his  triumph  as  he  ran  the  race 

I  caught  from  these  flowers  through  bounteous  Grace. 

Worth  more  to  me  than  the  entire  cost  of  my  journey 
around  the  world  was  this  one  simple  touch  of  nature,  so 
deep  that  my  soul  came  in  contact  with  nature's  God,  and  I 
was  fed  with  food  sweeter  than  ambrosia  or  nectar. 

We  rode  along  over  the  dusty  road.  In  falling  cadence  the 
south  wind  blew,  carrying  portentious  looking  clouds  along 
in  fitful  gusts  of  glee.  Just  as  we  rode  up  to  the  entrance 
of  a  place  called  the  "Three  Fountains"  a  few  large  drops 
of  rain  came  bouncing  through  the  air.  As  the  cab  halted 
we  jumped  out,  a  porter  opened  the  gate  and  summoned  a 
friar  to  attend  us.  A  few  hundred  feet  away,  up  an  avenue 
of  trees  and  flowers,  we  saw  three  beautiful  little  chapels, 
fully  twenty  feet  apart.  On  the  right  is,  to  our  surprise,  a 
forest  of  eucalyptus  trees,  150,000  of  them,  covering  several 
acres.     Except  some  small  parks  in  the  city,  this  forest  of 


106  A    CALIFORNIAN     CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

trees  ,twenty-eight  years  old,  is  the  only  semblance  of  a 
forest  to  be  seen  anywhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Rome.  We 
came  to  the  three  little  chapels.  Then,  seeing  that  we  ex- 
pected their  history,  or  legend,  as  you  may  be  pleased  to  call 
it,  the  friar  told  us  in  broken  English,  showing  us  the 
block  of  stone  on  which  Paul  was  beheaded,  that  as  "his 
head  rolled  off  it  bounded  three  times,  and  at  each  time  a 
fountain  of  water  sprang  from  the  ground."  We  drank 
from  one  of  the  fountains,  yet  we  saw  nor  heard  no  water 
running  in  any  of  them.  In  one  of  the  chapels  was  some 
Mosaic  pavement,  which  he  said  "was  two  thousand  years 
old,"  surrounded  with  a  chain.  We  returned  to  the  cab,  with 
orders  to  take  us  to  one  of  the  Catacombs.  We  drove  along 
towards  the  Appian  Way.  There  are  several  hundred  acres 
of  these  underground  tombs.  We  procured  a  guide,  who 
furnished  us  with  two  toTches  <ea.ch.-  Lighting  one  apiece  we 
began  to  descend  into  the  rocks  of  the  earth,  as  these  won- 
derful tombs  and  passage  ways  are  dug  in  soft  rock;  per- 
haps harder  than  sandstone,  as  the  rock  is  dark  colored.  We 
expected  little  and  saw  much.  We  followed  our  guide  for 
one  hour  up  and  down,  usually  in  passages  high  enough  to 
walk  in,  but  narrow.  It  is  the  most  grewsome  sight  I  ever 
saw.  In  some  places  three  stories,  if  you  may  call  it 
that,  one  under  the  other  exist;  I  shuddered  with  horror  and 
the  odor  was  very  nauseating,  and  yet  people  lived  and  died 
in  these  dark,  dismal  underground  chambers  and  passages. 
We  came  to  little  chapels  and  arched  chambers  where  we 
saw  in  fresco  on  the  walls  Bible  scenes.  Daniel  in  the  lion's 
den,  Jonah  thrown  overboard — also  the  great  fish  throwing 
him  out,  animals  coming  out  of  the  Ark,  birds  eating  grapes, 
peacocks,  animals,  children  and  many  other  scenes  traced  on 
the  walls.  We  saw  the  old  lamps  they  used,  their  water 
jars,  places  to  cook,  and  all  along  these  passage  ways  were 
hundreds,  yes,  thousands  of  little  niches  cut  in  the  rock, 
where  either  a  streak  of  white  ashes  lay,  or  bones.  I  touched 
one  of  the  bones ;  to  my  horror  it  crumbled  to  ashes.  A  vast 
chamel  house  of  the  dead.     It  is  calculated  that  if  all  the 


FROM   ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  107 

passages  were  put  in  one  continuous  line  they  would  extend 
nearly  six  hundred  miles — I  suppose  we  walked  about  two 
miles.  By  different  layers  of  ashes  there  must  have  been 
in  some  of  the  niches  several  people  laid  away  until  the  great 
resurrection  day.  We  could  only  detect  these  ashes  by  their 
edge,  as  over  the  top  a  gray  dust,  the  color  of  all  the  rocks 
about  us,  had  been  settling  for  centuries.  We  were  in  con- 
tact with  the  dim,  misty  past.  We  began  to  realize  what 
centuries  mean.  As  I  look  back,  the  memory  of  this  hour 
is  more  vivid  to  me,  and  more  real  than  any  mere  painting 
even  of  "Dante's  Inferno."  We  were  glad  to  emerge  from 
the  bowels  of  the  earth  and  ascend  again.  How  beautiful 
the  light  seemed,  and  as  we  shook  off  the  dust  and  mold  of 
centuries,  it  seemed  like  a  foretaste  of  the  resurrection  to 
come.  We  drove  along  by  the  entrances  to  other  parts  of  the 
Catacombs.  The  whole  country  about  us  under  a  layer  of 
surface  soil  was  originally  one  solid  rock  and  honeycombed 
with  these  tombs  of  the  past. 

We  drove  farther  out  on  this  road  made  famous  by  the 
coming  of  Paul  over  it  on  his  way  to  Rome.  We  saw  old 
ruins  each  side,  great  piles  of  brick  and  stone  with  traces 
of  marble  facing.  Some  were  very  large,  others  smaller;  no 
regular  line  of  them — just  dropped  down  anywhere.  They  are 
tombs  of  the  rulers  of  Rome  and  other  noted  men  and  women 
of  old  Roman  times.  The  largest  one  is  the  tomb  of  Cro- 
esus' wife ;  another  one  we  particularly  noted  is  the  tomb  of 
Seneca. 

Over  to  the  left,  two  or  three  miles  away,  are  some  of  the 
old  aqueducts,  still  standing.  Each  side  of  us  the  fields  were 
bare.  No  trees  except  a  few  bushes  clinging  about  the 
tombs,  and  now  and  then  the  poorest  of  peasants'  homes. 
Grain  stubble,  or  grass  dried  up,  came  close  to  the  Way, 
and  around  the  tombs.  I  walked  from  the  carriage  to  a 
small  rise  in  the  ground  to  get  a  view.  No  flowers  were  to 
be  seen,  but  bits  of  broken  brick  and  rock  everywhere.  I 
returned  to  the  carriage  and  we  started  for  the  city.  While 
riding  along  Elmer  suddenly  said:    "Look  at  that  centipede." 


108  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Crawling  over  one  of  my  shoes  was  the  largest  centipede  I 
ever  saw.  I  had  disturbed  him  in  his  lair  while  walking, 
he  had  crawled  up  in  my  clothing  and  was  now  seeking  his 
resting  place  in  the  tombs.  How  I  shuddered,  knowing  how 
poisonous  they  are.  The  driver  took  him  from  the  carriage 
and  killed  him. 

As  we  rode  back  to  the  city  I  thought  of  the  mighty  armies 
that  had  traveled  over  this  Appian  Way,  of  its  many  changes; 
one  of  the  most  historical  roads  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  At 
the  city's  gates  officials  are  stationed  to  tax  dutiable  articles. 
They  have  long  rapiers,  and  as  a  load  of  hay  or  straw  comes 
along,  they  thrust  them  through  to  see  if  something  is  con- 
cealed. We  walked  around  in  the  great  Roman  Forum, 
and  stood  where  Cicero  and  Cato  talked  in  words  of  burning 
eloquence.  Nothing  but  ruins,  but  the  pavements  are  there, 
and  shattered  pillars,  cornices  and  foundations  excited  our 
wonder  and  admiration.  We  saw  the  Arch  of  Titus,  erected 
in  the  first  centufy  A.  D.,  with  the  picture  of  the  golden  candle- 
stick on  it,  the  only  authentic  picture  in  existence,  a  copy 
for  all  other  pictures. 

We  hired  a  guide  and  walked  among  the  ruins  of  em- 
perors' palaces  on  Palatine  Hill.  The  extent  and  magnifi- 
cence of  these  ruins,  with  the  Stadium  passing  through  the 
center,  and  many  underground  passages,  is  simply  aston- 
ishing. We  saw  beautiful  frescoes  still  clinging  to  the  walls, 
and  walked  over  mosaic  pavements  that  echoed  to  the  tread 
of  the  mighty  men  of  Rome  over  two  thousand  years  ago. 
Just  here,  near  the  Stadium,  are  the  ruins  of  the  Judgement 
Hall,  and  I  stood  where  Paul  and  Peter  were  condemned  to, 
death  by  Nero.  We  walked  into  the  Coliseum,  one  of  the 
seven  wonders  of  the  world,  finished  after  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  by  Titus,  as  thousands  of  Jews  were  brought  pris- 
oners to  Rome  and  compelled  to  work  on  this  great  structure. 
I  counted  sixteen  stairways,  from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet 
wide,  coming  from  the  outside  and  leading  to  different  tiers 
of  seats,  with  landings  for  each  tier.  Immense  columns  or 
pillars  were  the  only  obstructions  to  entering  on  any  side. 


ARCH     OF     TITUS. 

KOMK. 


FROM   ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  109 

I  stood  over  the  arena,  and  thought  of  the  many  thousands 
of  Christians  that  were  fed  to  the  lions,  for  over  two  hundred 
years,  as  each  night  there  gathered  100,000  of  these  cruel 
heathen  Romans  to  exult  over  their  cries  and  groans,  as  they 
were  torn  in  pieces. 

Near  the  Coliseum  stands  a  great  arch  erected  by  Constan- 
tine  on  one  of  the  city's  roads.  Loaded  teams  are  very  fre- 
quently passing  under  this  arch,  linking  the  past  to  the 
present  by  the  lapse  of  many  centuries.  Near  by  was  the 
great  Circus  Maximus,  where  chariot  races  were  run,  large 
enough  to  hold  one  million  of  spectators.  There  was  a  square 
mile  laid  off  for  games  and  sports,  and  also  room  for  sixteen 
hundred  baths,  all  constructed  of  the  finest  of  marble,  with 
great  pipes  having  silver  mouths  to  deliver  hot  water  of  any 
degree  of  temperature.  Mighty  Rome  with  its  once  four 
millions  or  more  of  population,  its  emperor  living  in  a  house 
lined  with  gold,  its  five  hundred  senators  living  in  silver 
houses,  its  environments  taking  in  the  seven  hills  which  are 
nothing  more  than  the  seven  heads  of  prophecy  of  Revela- 
tions, and  in  connection  with  other  kingdoms  representing  the 
ten  horns.  Would  you  know  its  past  history  and  final  destiny 
turn  to  the  book  of  Daniel,  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  read 
about  ibhe  Iron  Empire,  then  turn  to  Revelations  and  find  out 
what  became  of  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horns. 

One  cannot  travel  a  block  or  square  in  Rome  without 
meeting  one  or  more  priests  dressed  in  black,  and  friars 
dressed  in  brown,  always  in  skirts  hanging  clear  to  their 
heels.  There  are  nearly  three  hundred  churches  and  services 
going  on  most  of  the  time.  About  five  o'clock  every  morning 
you  will  be  awakened  by  the  ringing  of  many  church  bells. 
We  looked  at  many  obelisks  brought  from  Egypt,  covered 
with  hieroglyphics.  We  saw  many  monuments  and  much 
statuary,  a  partial  embellishment  of  its  wonderful  history. 
We  had  read  of  Rome  and  its  record,  yet  in  our  quiet  Cali- 
fornia home  we  had  no  realizing  conception,  until  we  gath- 
ered from  its  stupendous  ruins,  the  magnitude  of  its  build- 
ings,  the   costly    appointments   of   its   palaces,    the   towering 


110  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

height  of  its  triumphal  arches,  the  carved  rostrums  and  the 
immense  ampitheatres,  all  this  only  ruins,  yet  we  looked 
upon  them  with  awe  and  admiration.  What  could  the  picture 
be  when  it  was  filled  out;  more  than  any  Utopian  dreamer 
ever  thought  or  dreamed. 

We  learned  that  the  cholera  was  still  raging  in  Egypt,  in- 
cluding Port  Said,  being  easy  enough  to  get  there  but  not  to 
get  out.  We  could  get  to  Jerusalem  by  traveling  nearly  two 
thousand  miles  over  three  railways  and  on  three  steam 
ships  and  with  delays  would  take  about  eighteen  days.  There 
was  no  alternative  unless  we  wanted  to  run  against  the 
cholera  in  Egypt,  be  quarantined  ten  days  and  fumigated  like 
scale  on  an  orange  tree  to  get  away. 

We  purchased  our  tickets  to  Jerusalem,  costing  about  nine- 
teen pounds  each  over  this  roundabout  route,  and  boarded  our 
train  in  Rome  for  Naples. 

It  was  one  of  those  delightful  days  that  occur  everywhere. 
The  sun  and  the  clouds  in  the  place  of  sparkling  light  and 
shadow  were  each  striving  for  the  mastery,  while  all  the 
landscape  o'er  there  was  a  flood  of  genial  warmth.  As  om 
train  emerged  from  the  city  walls,  passing  directly  into  the 
country,  the  grass  was  dry  and  brown.  The  fields  were  quite 
large,  many  of  them  covered  with  grain  stubble.  A  few  scat- 
tering eucalyptus  trees  about  the  poor  looking  homes  and 
small  stations.  We  passed  quite  close  to  the  old  aqueducts 
of  Rome,  and  for  a  distance  not  far  from  the  Appian  Way. 
We  were  traversing  the  famous  Roman  Campagna,  a  fertile 
and  comparatively  level  country.  Then  we  commenced  to 
circle  about  its  southern  edges,  where  vineyards  began  to 
appear,  some  of  them  trimmed  about  six  feet  high.  Occasion- 
ally a  weeping  willow  or  an  oak  tree.  The  country  became 
very  hilly,  and  I  saw  many  caves  in  the  rocks,  with  people 
living  in  some  of  them,  others  used  for  stables.  The  hills 
were  very  dry,  and  as  we  passed  up  a  rolling  valley  I  saw 
bands  of  sheep  grazing  in  the  stubble  fields  and  some  droves 
of  black  hogs.  The  stacks  of  grain  by  the  little  old  villages 
(looking  as  old  and  gray  as  the  rocks),  were  not  threshed 


FROM   ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  111 

yet.  There  were  a  very  few  stacks  of  hay  to  be  seen.  The 
villages  are  perched  on  the  tops  of  mountains  or  high  hills, 
and  were  so  gray  and  regular  in  appearance  that  they  almost 
looked  like  ledges  of  rock.  The  country  was  very  rocky. 
No  trees,  and  the  villages  a  long  distance  apart.  The  few 
houses  scattered  between  the  villages  were  very  rude  in 
construction,  poor  in  appearance,  and  heaps  of  rocks  were 
scattered  everywhere.  This  kind  of  country  continued  for 
many  miles.  We  stopped  at  a  small  country  station.  I 
walked  up  and  down  the  platform.  I  looked  aloft,  clouds 
and  sunshine  were  woven  together,  blended  in  one  harm6- 
nious  color. 

Light   and   shadow   had  ceased  to   flow, 
All  nature  was  in  a  sweet  repose ; 
Calm  and  tranquil  in  its  rest. 
As  an  infant  on  its  mother's  breast. 

Refreshed  and  rested  as  the  train  sped  along  (for  I  had 
come  in  contact  with  nature  in  one  of  its  melting  moods, 
where  I  can  always  gather  such  delicious  food),  I  now  saw  a 
new  feature  in  the  vineyards,  each  vine  planted  by  a  small 
tree.  The  trees  are  mulberry  trees  and  the  leaves  are  used  to 
feed  silk  worms.  When  they  get  by  their  vigorous  growth  then 
the  vines,  using  the  trees  for  stakes,  have  their  best  growth. 
Soon  we  were  in  a  very  mountainous  country,  where  very  lit- 
tle of  anything  could  grow.  Then  about  noon  we  came  into 
a  region  where  whole  mountainsides  were  covered  with  olive 
trees,  planted  among  the  rocks.  Again,  no  forests,  whole 
mountain  ranges  as  bare  as  the  day  they  were  thrown  up 
from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  with  little  soil,  mostly  bare 
rocks. 

For  many  miles  before  we  reached  Naples  we  passed 
through  a  level  country.  The  mulberry  trees  are  large, 
planted  in  rows  ten  or  twelve  feet  apart,  and  the  grape  vines 
were  trained  from  one  tree  to  another,  high  enough  to  see 
the  fine  bunches   of  grapes  hanging  there   ready  to  gather. 


112  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOSe. 

In  some  fields  only  the  rows  of  grapes  and  trees  and  gardens 
between.  We  came  into  thie  station  at  Naples,  the  largest 
city  in  Italy.  We  climbed  to  some  of  the  upper  streets  and 
looked  out  on  the  bay  of  Naples.  In  the  distance  is  the  island 
of  Capri.  This  placid  sea  with  just  little  ripples  enough  to 
sparkle  as  the  sun  caught  them,  lay  before  us  like  a  painting 
dropped  from  the  skies.  Why  write  about  this  beautiful  bay? 
Poets  and  writers  in  all  ages  have  gone  into  ecstacies  over  the 
bay  of  Naples,  until  it  has  become  a  trite  saying,  "See  Naples 
and  die."  Let  them  write  in  jubilant  tones;  we  will 
continue  our  journey  and  gather  thought  and  beauty 
from  fields  where  it  is  better  gleaning.  The  fashionable  ho- 
tels are  located  along  the  sea  with  a  wide  drive  in  front, 
then  a  sea  wall.  Many  of  them  close  in  the  summer.  Naples 
is  not  a  clean  city.  One  will  see  all  sorts  of  carts — four 
wheels  to  any  wagon  used  in  business  is  scarce.  I  saw  one 
cart  with  a  large  load  with  an  ox  hitched  in  the 
center,  a  horse  one  side  and  a  donkey  on  the  other,  all  pulling 
together.  Most  of  the  small  carts  are  drawn  by  single  don- 
keys. Every  night  one  will  see  droves  of  goats  driven  along 
in  the  city  and  some  cows ;  the  goat  or  cow  is  milked  in  the 
street  as  the  milk  is  sold.  We  saw  people  living  in  upper 
stories  of  houses  letting  down  baskets  with  a  rope  and  dishes 
in  them  to  get  the  milk.  The  goats  walk  along  the  crowded 
sidewalks,  dodging  along  just  as  a  person  would.  Each  drove 
having  leaders  with  bells  attached.  We  saw  a  funny  funeral 
procession  just  at  sundown.*  A  very  fine  looking  coffin  was 
carried  along  on  the  shoulders  of  some  bearers,  followed  by 
a  score  or  more  of  men  dressed  in  white,  with  their  heads 
wrapped  in  white  and  so  arranged  that  each  man  appeared  to 
wear  very  long  white  whiskers.  They  stopped  at  a  church 
and  the  street  filled  up  with  women  and  children,  some  of 
them  crowding  into  the  church.  As  the  coffin  was  carried 
in  these  ghost-like  looking  men  chanted  or  sang  around  the 
coffin,  each  one  holding  a  torch  aloft.  This  continued  a  little 
while  and  then  the  very  fine  looking  coffin  was  brought  out 
and  carried  away  and  a  plain  coffin  was  put  in  a  hearse  and 


FROM  ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  113 

driven  off  unattended.    We  concluded  the  fine  coffin  was  only 
hired  for  the  street  procession  to  the  church. 

We  concluded  to  visit  Pompeii  and  climb  Mount  Vesu- 
vius in  one  day,  and  so  started  early  Tuesday  morning  on  a 
train  for  Pompeii.  Passing  along  the  edge  of  the  sea  for 
several  miles  by  villages  and  gardens,  we  came  to  a  small 
station,  where  our  guide  procured  a  carriage  to  drive  two  or 
three  miles  to  Pompeii.  We  passed  many  macaroni  factories, 
and  up  little  narrow  streets  swarming  with  carts,  men,  women, 
children,  flies,  dogs  and  dirt  Driving  like  a  Jehu  and  crack- 
ing his  whip  like  a  pistol,  we  soon  reached  Pompeii.  As  you 
all  know  it  was  suddenly  destroyed  one  day  in  A.  D.  79  by 
this  volcano,  or  rather  covered  up  several  feet  deep,  was  for- 
gotten and  left  buried  until  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago.  The  impression  of  this  city  with  its  streets,  foun- 
tains, baths,  water  pipes,  theaters,  stores  and  private  houses, 
all  one  story  high,  now  deserted,  except  by  guards  and  cu- 
rious visitors,  was  singularly  strange.  The  streets  were  very 
narrow  and  large  stones  for  crossing  them  made  the  char- 
iots all  keep  in  one  place,  and  we  saw  ruts  worn  with 
wheels  into  the  solid  rock  pavement  three  and  four  inches 
deep.  The  water  pipes  were  made  of  lead  hammered  into 
shape.  Much  work  in  fresco,  some  of  it  handsome,  and  the 
pavements  were  as  bright  as  when  their  owners  walked  in 
and  out.  What  curious  ideas  we  often  form  of  a  place  be- 
fore seeing  it.  I  supposed  that  we  would  have  to  look  at 
Pompeii  under  the  ground.  The  excavations  simply  mean  all 
the  ashes  and  lava  is  shoveled  out  of  the  streets  and  houses, 
and  there  is  Pompeii  almost  as  it  stood  two  thousand  years 
ago,  just  as  real  and  on  top  of  the  ground  as  it  ever  was, 
and  only  a  few  walls  are  broken  in  and  down.  We  saw 
their  rude  stones  fitted  together  to  grind  flour,  their  wine 
shops,  their  jugs  and  samples  of  almost  every  article  they 
used.  Even  loaves  of  bread  found  in  their  ovens.  Their 
way  of  living  as  revealed  by  looking  at  their  houses,  where 
you  can  almost  imagine  they  have  just  moved  out,  is  worth 
a  trip  to  Naples  to  see.    Some  of  the  people  were  wealthy,  as 


114  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

they  had  flower  gardens  in  an  inner  court,  houses  built 
around  them  and  richly  decorated  rooms.  How  strange  it 
all  seemed. 

We  saw  the  work  of  uncovering  still  going  on  in  Pompeii. 
It  is  not  hard,  as,  unlike  Herculaneum,  it  was  covered  with 
ashes  and  pumice  stone.  We  saw  old  wine  shops  with  their 
jars  in  place  as  real  as  today.  We  saw  fountains  in  the 
streets,  places  for  people  to  drink  water,  and  the  stone 
casings  where  they  leaned  on  their  hands  to  drink,  worn  to 
a  hollow.  We  walked  about  in  their  theaters,  temples  and 
well  appointed  bath  rooms,  arranged  for  either  hot  or  cold 
water.  What  a  little  span  of  time  life  is,  yet  there  have  been 
many  spans  of  life  since  that  tragic  August  day  in  79.  Vil- 
lages are  located  all  around  Pompeii  today  as  it  is  five  or  six 
miles  from  the  foot  of  the  volcano.  Life  is  always  eventful, 
full  of  tragedy,  and  you  and  I  are  actors  in  the  drama.  These 
Pompeiian  people  have  played  their  part.  We  were  studying 
the  cast  of  their  play.  We  found  much  to  condemn,  very 
little  of  approval,  and  as  our  guide  summoned  the  carriage 
and  we  were  driven  rapidly  towards  Mount  Vesuvius,  I  mused 
as  never  before,  catching  in  my  mind  the  grasp  of  centuries, 
enabling  me  to  look  back  over  all  the  ages  that  are  past. 
Then  with  one  mighty  sweep  of  vision,  I  saw  the  race,  on 
down  to  the  end  of  time,  and  I  said  "all  I  want  is  Thy  ap- 
proval." 

For  some  distance  we  passed  along  a  village  street  en- 
closed with  walls,  then  we  came  to  the  starting  place,  where 
we  exchanged  the  carriage  for  horses.  Two  very  ordinary 
looking  horses  were  brought  to  our  side  and  we  mounted  the 
steeds.  The  street  was  full  of  people  to  see  us  start  off. 
Boys  were  asking  us  for  money,  and  oflFering  little  longer 
sticks,  expecting  if  we  took  them  to  get  a  few  centimes. 
The  drivers  whipped  up  the  steeds,  catching  hold  of  them  by 
the  end  of  their  tails,  holloing  "R"  at  the  top  of  their  voices, 
and  away  we  went  up  the  street,  amid  this  babel,  jolting  hard 
enough  to  shake  our  ribs  out  of  place.  As  soon  as  I  could 
recover  breath  I  looked  at  the  long  distance  to  travel  on  an 


STRKI    1         \      I'OMPEII. 

CHARIOT    RUTS    FROM    1  ul  K    iu    FIVE   INCHES   IN    DEPTH. 


rnOM    ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  116 

ascending  slope,  then  at  the  abrupt  climb  to  reach  the  top, 
and  my  heart  sank  within  me.  Was  I  equal  to  the  emergency  ? 
I  saw  before  me  one  of  the  hardest  physical  efforts  of  my 
life.     I  resolved  to  carry  it  through. 

We  passed  along  for  about  two  miles  fine  looking  vineyards 
each  side  of  the  road.  They  were  gathering  the  vintage 
and  in  places  we  saw  them  treading  out  the  wine  with  their 
feet.  Some  fig  trees  with  fine  fruit  on  them  were  scattered 
by  the  roadside  and  through  the  vineyards.  We  met  women 
and  men  carrying  great  baskets  of  grapes  and  figs  on  their 
heads.  Then  we  came  to  ridges  of  lava,  and  as  we  climbed 
.  -  slope  we  passed  away  from  the  vineyards  and  into  hun- 
dreds of  acres  of  little  pine  trees,  many  of  them  not  over 
two  feet  tall,  planted  in  rows.  The  large  pine  trees  of  Italy 
are  very  different  from  any  I  have  yet  seen  in  other  parts  of 
the  world.  At  their  tops  they  spread  out  like  a  Japanese 
umbrella  tree,  and  are  light  colored. 

Soon  we  came  to  a  place  where  the  horses  could  carry  us 
no  farther,  we  alighted  and,  taking  our  coats  off,  comr 
menced  to  climb.  We  had  been  in  the  saddle  about  one  and 
one-half  hours,  and  it  would  take  that  much  more  time  of 
hard  climbing  to  reach  the  summit.  How  we  toiled  up, 
step  by  step.  In  places  the  ashes  being  soft  and  yielding  to 
our  feet  made  it  still  harder.  The  ascent  became  so  steep 
that  we  had  to  zigzag  our  course.  As  I  would  stop  to  catch 
breath  how  wistfully  I  looked  to  the  top.  We  struggled  on 
and  just  as  the  crest  came  in  view,  with  an  almost  perpen- 
dicular climb  to  get  there,  our  guide  told  us  for  the  first  time 
that  there  was  a  government  tax  to  pay,  if  we  went  farther. 
Others  coming  down  said  they  could  not  see  into  the  crater 
as  the  wind  was  not  favorable,  failing  to  blow  the  smoke 
and  vapor  aside.  Elmer  and  I  held  a  council  and  concluded 
that  unless  the  volcano  began  to  eject  red  hot  lava  we  were 
going  to  stand  on  the  crest  of  its  crater.  Inch  by  inch  we 
crawled  up,  and  there  stood  the  government  tax  collector 
silhouetted  against  the  sky,  standing  on  a  ledge  of  rock, 
once  molten  lava.    We  paid  him  nine  francs  for  us  and  the 


116  A    CALIFORNiAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

guide  and  went  on.  Time,  persistence  and  grit  will  overcome 
obstacles,  therefore  at  about  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we 
took  the  last  step  and  were  standing  on  the  crest  of  the 
crater  encircling  the  most  noted  volcano  in  the  world. 

I  looked  down.  At  first  I  could  see  nothing  but  an  abyss 
of  wreathing,  circling  vapor  or  smoke  of  silvery  whiteness. 
Now  and  then  a  puflf  of  it  would  catch  us,  and  its  fumes 
were  similar  to  the  brimstone  you  would  use  to  smoke  bees 
out  of  a  tree  or  hive.  In  a  few  minutes  a  puff  of  wind 
blowing  downwards  caught  the  inner  walls  of  the  crater 
near  where  we  stood,  and  we  saw  a  long  ways  into  its  depths, 
revealing  one  of  the  most  wonderful  sights  of  my  life.  Bed" 
of  burning  sulphur,  jets  of  steam  and  smoke,  and  the  almost 
perpendicular  walls  of  the  crater  looked  like  a  crust  of 
smoky  ashes  and  cinders  just  covering  up  the  strength  of 
its  fiery  master,  ready  at  any  moment  to  startle  the  world 
with  its  convulsions.  I  stood  spellbound.  I  was  in  the 
presence  of  one  of  the  mightiest  forces  of  nature.  Hitherto 
its  greatest  forces  I  had  ever  seen  were  in  floods  rushing  to 
the  sea,  in  the  uncontrollable  wind,  or  as  nature  often  loves 
to  do,  gather  its  forces  in  some  towering  cloud,  or  clouds,  and 
bombard  the  earth,  with  bolts  of  electric  light  and  power, 
so  brilliant  that  man  can  never  imitate.  Here  was  to  me  a 
new  force,  awe  inspiring,  captivating  because  of  its  power — 
yet  not  wholly  unknown  hitherto,  as  in  my  California  home 
I  have  seen  the  mountains  tremble,  shaking  clouds  of  dust 
into  the  air.  I  have  felt  the  earth  vibrate  like  the  passing 
of  an  ocean  wave.  I  have  heard  the  sound  of  its  voice  in  the 
rumbling  earthquake.  As  I  turned  my  face  away  from  this 
sleeping,  slumbering,  smouldering  volcano  there  came  wrapped 
in  the  gentle  wind  as  it  fanned  my  brow,  a  soft  and  pleading 
voice : 

Do  not  tremble  at  this  power; 

Be  at  peace  this  very  hour. 

Again  looking  down  into  this  fiery  volcano,  a  cloud  of  smoke 


FROM    ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  117 

and  vapor  encircled  me  and  hidden  away  in  its  mystic  depths 
there  came  the  faintest  of  whispers, 

Do  not  love  me   any  less. 
As  I,  too,  have  power  to  bless. 

It  was  enough.  It  was  the  God  of  nature  speaking  to  me, 
bringing  a  quiet,  restful  peace  into  my  heart  as  I  turned 
and  walked  toward  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Elmer  and  the 
guide  started  to  run.  They  got  to  going  so  fast  down  the 
mountain  they  could  not  stop,  and  as  I  saw  their  coat  tails 
flying  I  sat  down  on  a  crag  of  hardened  lava  to  watch  the 
result.  Fortunately  they  kept  right  end  up,  yet  as  I  saw  them 
leaping  along  in  such  gigantic  strides  of  twenty  feet  or  more, 
they  looked  like  giants  trying  to  sail  off  into  the  realms  of 
space. 

As  the  race  ended  I  looked  around.  I  could  plainly  see  the 
uncovered  streets  and  houses  in  Pompeii,  and  villages  lying 
much  closer  to  the  mountain  than  Pompeii  ever  did;  and  all 
around  this  volcano  is  a  vast  plain — some  of  the  most  fer- 
tile soil  in  the  world.  The  level  land  is  not  as  wide  next 
to  the  sea  as  inland.  I  remembered  what  a  German  once 
told  me  in  Spokane,  Washington.  He  said:  "I  am  a  gradu- 
ate of  an  agricultural  college  in  Germany.  The  richest  soil 
in  Europe  is  volcanic  soil  on  the  plains  about  Mount  Vesu- 
vius. I  came  to  America  to  find  similar  soil.  I  found  it 
only  in  Colfax  county  of  this  state  and  I  have  settled  there." 
And  with  pride  he  pointed  out  to  me  his  samples  of  wheat, 
apples  and  pears,  as  we  were  talking  on  the  Washington  fair 
grounds  at  the  time. 

The  whole  country  except  a  strip  behind  the  volcano  lay 
spread  out  before  me.  What  a  lofty  view!  I  was  like  some 
eagle  perched  upon  a  crag.  Out  in  the  distance  lay  the  city 
of  Naples,  fringing  the  shore  of  the  sea,  and  on  the  an- 
chorage were  ships  from  all  climes.  On  the  mountain  side 
below  me  a  few  clouds  were  beginning  to  gather,  and  then  to 
melt  away,  like  some  of  our  dreams,  which  when  we  awake 


118  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

are  scattered  and  gone.  Out  in  the  country,  and  on  those 
distant  mountain  ranges,  this  last  day  of  September,  the  sun 
was  catching  village,  vineyard,  trees  and  rocky  mountain  slopes 
and  bathing  them  in  robes  of  royal  brightness. 

As  I  traced  the  shore  lines  of  this  bewithchingly  beautiful 
bay  of  Naples,  and  noticed  that  arising  out  of  its  blue  depths 
there  were  white,  fleecy  looking  clouds,  beginning  to  appear, 
yet  so  transparent  that  they  seemed  like  mere  phantom  spec- 
tres of  imagination — I  must  forebear.  I  promised  that  I  would 
not  write  about  the  bay  of  Naples,  yet  it  is  awfully  hard  to 
keep  out  of  the  arena  where  gladiatores  have  fought  so  long, 
and  I  would  like  to  take  one  good  turn  of  pen  and  thought. 
Lame,  blistered,  tired  and  sore,  I  crept  into  my  bed  in  Naples. 

At  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  were  on  a  passenger  train 
leaving  Naples  for  Brindisi.  We  saw  boats  in  the  bay  with 
fishermen  and  in  the  gardens  we  saw  them  pumping  water 
with  donkeys,  and  I  saw  one  goat  hitched  to  the  wooden 
sweep,  pulling  it  around  to  pump  water  for  irrigation. 

Bathed  in  this  morning's  sun  Mount  Vesuvius  arose  ab- 
ruptly out  of  the  plain  and  I  saw  a  curl  of  smoke  arising  from 
the  crater  on  its  top,  weaving  itself  into  a  shroud  of  snowy 
whiteness,  looking  like  a  robe  fit  for  angels  to  wear.  As  we 
passed  Pompeii  at  a  little  distance,  its  walls,  houses  and  streets 
were  deserted  and  silent-looking,  gray  and  grim  with  age. 

After  crossing  the  level  plain,  covered  with  gardens,  we 
came  to  a  hilly  country  near  the  Sorrento  mountains,  where  I 
saw  some  orange  trees,  not  looking  thrifty,  but  good  looking 
vineyards.  There  had  been  a  heavy  wind  blowing  from  the 
mountains  and  I  noticed  very  large  fig  trees,  several  of  them, 
uprooted  and  thrown  down,  also  mulberry  and  other  trees  by 
the  wayside  with  many  limbs  broken  oflF.  We  rode  through  a 
valley,  and  on  the  other  side  came  to  where  clouds  nearly  ob- 
scured the  sun.  Off  to  the  right  was  the  Mediterranean  sea, 
with  sky  and  cloud  so  blended  together,  and  all  of  the  color 
of  this  placid  sea,  that  in  this  gray  morning  light  it  seemed  we 
were  on  the  edge  of  the  world,  peeping  off  into  space  in  search 
of  other  worlds. 


FROM   ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  1t9 

We  reached  Salermo  at  9:30,  and  beyond  saw  mountains 
covered  with  olive  trees;  then  an  open  level  country  several 
miles  in  extent,  with  nothing  of  much  account  growing;  too 
dry  and  rocky,  soil  poor.  Again  we  came  to  mountains  of 
olives;  then  into  a  rough,  hilly,  mountainous  country,  with 
some  small  trees  and  many  bushes ;  a  natural  forest-growing 
region,  as  I  saw  on  one  hillside  a  grove  of  grand  old  oaks. 
We  passed  up  a  river  with  very  little  water  running.  Men  were 
plowing  with  the  crudest-looking  plows  I  ever  saw,  and  living 
inpo6r  houses,  yet  most  of  the  population  seemed  to  live  in 
towns  a  few  miles  apart.  The  singular  part  of  it  is,  these 
towns  are  perched  up  on  the  top  of  small  mountains,  and  so 
gray  that  the  buildings  look  like  one  tier  of  rocks  above  an- 
other. These  hills  were  as  bare  and  brown  as  any  ever  were 
in  California.  At  each  station  were  venders  of  all  sorts  of 
fruit  and  bread  and  water  which  was  carried  in  two  handled 
jugs  with  a  tumbler  to  draw.  The  small  rocks  are  every- 
where, the  subsoil  being  made  up  of  pebbles  or  rocks,  not  many 
larger  than  one's  fist.  We  saw  improvements  being  made  on 
tho  railroad  tracks  and  women  were  carrying  baskets  of  dirt 
and  dumping  them,  grading  new  road,  some  olive  trees  on 
the  hillsides  and  a  few  apple  tress.  At  the  small  stations  and 
along  the  country  roads  nearly  every  woman  in  sight  wore  a 
red  shawl. 

We  came  to  an  open  hilly  country  and  could  see  for  miles 
each  way.  A  very  poor  country,  almost  too  poor  for  anything 
to  grow.  Then  we  passed  down  a  small  river  and  through 
numerous  tunnels,  yet  the  whole  country  was  not  worth  much. 
About  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  came  out  of  the  hills  and 
mountains  and  commenced  to  cross  an  open  plain  of  good 
land,  yet  there  was  nothing  growing,  scarcely  a  tree  in  sight. 
I  saw  several  yoke  of  white  oxen  plowing.  After  a  few 
miles  we  came  to  the  shore  and  for  many  miles  ran  near  the 
sea,  the  dirt  in  some  places  thrown  up  like  the  dunes  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  Little,  yet  old,  pine  trees  grew  among  the 
dunes  and  on  top  of  them,  all  bent  towards  the  land,  showing 
much  wind  through  the  year.    Looking  at  the  sea,  this  Octo- 


120  A    CALIFORNIAN    CfRCLING    THE    GLOSS. 

ber  afternoon,  with  scarcely  a  ripple  on  the  shore,  it  seemed 
in  one  of  its  mildest  moods. 

Toward  sundown  we  came  to  Taranto,  where  many  of  the 
passengers  got  off.  We  were  looking  out  on  the  Gulf  of 
Taranto  towards  the  Ionian  sea.  As  we  passed  along  we 
saw  a  few  pomegranite  trees.  Bands  of  black  sheep  were 
grazing  on  the  scanty  herbage ;  ribs  of  rock  land  and  thou- 
sands of  olive  trees,  some  of  them  looking  centuries  old.  It 
grew  dark.  We  had  traveled  the  whole  length  of  Italy  and 
found  no  orange  groves  worthy  of  the  name.  I  think  the 
orange  growing  district  is  nearly  all  on  the  island  of  Sicily. 
The  Italians  have  not  allowed  any  forests  to  grow,  south 
of  Northern  Italy,  since  the  forests  were  cut  off  by  their 
ancestors.  The  mountains,  more  than  likely,  had  Some  soil 
on  them,  but  the  erosion  of  rain  for  centuries  has  largely  taken 
that  away.  Except  around  Vesuvius,  and  now  and  then  a 
strip  of  naturally  good  land,  the  land  not  in  rocks  is  poor 
and  needs  fertilizing.  I  saw  no  fields  of  alfalfa,  nothing 
growing  worth  mentioning,  except  olives,  mulberry  trees  and 
grapes,  except  in  gardens,  where  irrigation  was  the  rule, 
from  a  surface  well,  and  by  the  crudest  of  methods.  These 
remarks  apply  wholly  to  Central  and  Southern  Italy.  Sicily 
I  did  not  see  and  know  nothing  of.  Northern  Italy  is  well 
watered.  Its  mountains  have  forests,  its  people  are  enter- 
prising and  progressive,  its  cities  are  rapidly  increasing  in 
manufacturing.  Over  one-half  of  the  time  we  were  in  Italy 
it  was  cloudy  weather. 

While  traveling  in  England,  on  the  Midland  railway,  I 
met  an  American  lady  who  resided  in  Florence,  only  being 
in  England  for  a  season  to  attend  the  coronation.  We  were 
talking  about  Italy.  I  made  a  remark  about  sunny  Italy. 
"Oh,"  she  said,  "those  books  were  written  by  Englishmen, 
and  in  contrast  to  England  it  is  sunny,  but  there  is  much 
cloudy  weather  there."  You  may  come  to  Italy  some  Octooer 
and  find  green  grass;  I  did  not,  and  I  think  they  need 
to  irrigate  as  much  as  in  California.  There  is  less  area 
of  natural   damp   lands,   and  mostly  poor  soil,  nothing  like 


FROM  ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  121 

the  north  of  Europe  in  natural  fertility,  except  the  rich 
spots  noted.  Many  of  the  country  homes  have  a  patch  of 
cane  growing  for  basket-making. 

About  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  alighted  from  our  train 
in  Brindisi,  hired  a  cab  and  drove  to  the  steamship's  wharf. 
We  saw  the  streets  full  of  people ;  boys  and  men  sound  asleep 
on  the  sidewalks;  country  people  were  bringing  in  their  vint- 
age. I  saw  one  street  full  of  people,  where  some  man 
was  selling  patent  nostrums.  We  found  that  in  order  to  go 
on  the  steamer  we  would  have  to  declare  our  intention  to  the 
police.  We  did  so,  and  they  sent  word  they  wanted  to  see  us 
and  our  passports.  We  went  to  the  chief  of  police's  office. 
He  took  our  passports,  yet  he  looked  more  sharply  at  us 
than  at  the  passports.  That  ordeal  being  over,  we  waited 
for  the  steamer.  About  half  past  nine  the  steamer  arrived 
from  Trieste.  We  went  on  board  and  were  assigned  to  some 
rooms  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  as  all  others  were  taken.  We  were 
afloat  on  the  sea  once  more,  after  traveling  nearly  eight  thou- 
sand miles  in  Europe  in  all  sorts  of  cars,  under  all  conditions, 
exciting  and  otherwise,  and  through  many  countries.  We  re- 
tired, and  about  12  o'clock  the  whistle  blew,  the  gang  planks 
were  pulled  off  and  the  steamer  started. 

We  were  sailing  on  the  Adriatic,  one  of  the  most  stormy  seas 
in  the  world.  The  sea  was  in  a  pensive  mood,  waiting  for  its 
master,  the  storm  king,  to  assert  his  sway  again.  Early  in 
the  morning  I  arose  and  went  on  deck.  It  was  sunrise.  About 
twenty  miles  away  to  the  north  were  high,  abrupt  mountains. 
Not  a  tree  on  them ;  but  little  soil ;  almost  all  rocks,  and  rising 
abruptly  from  the  water's  edge.  It  was  the  Albania  country, 
a  part  of  Turkey.  We  were  sailing  about  due  east,  and  on  the 
right  were  four  rocks  arising  out  of  the  sea,  or  small  islands. 

Just  a  film  of  clouds  arched  the  heavens  o'er,  enough  to 
give  a  quiet  look  to  land  and  sea.  At  10  o'clock  the  ship 
came  to  anchor  before  a  small  town  in  Turkey,  a  port  with  a 
title  so  long  and  hard  that  I  will  omit  its  name.  It  was  the 
port  for  the  capital  of  this  province,  Albania.  Boats  filled 
with  Turkish  and  Greek  men  wearing  a  "fez"  came  to  the 


122  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

ship  with  much  clamor,  and  considerable  freight  was  put  off. 
Two  other  steamers  came  from  somewhere,  with  many  red- 
capped  passengers. 

Only  a  little  row  of  two-story  houses  on  the  shore,  some  old 
ruins,  gray  with  age,  a  few  houses  torn  in  pieces,  as  the 
Greeks  shelled  this  part  of  the  town  in  their  late  war  with 
Turkey.  Just  back  of  the  shore  are  ledges  of  rock,  with 
scarcely  room  for  a  spear  of  grass  to  grow.  All  the  morning 
we  had  been  sailing  by  lofty,  towering  mountains,  without  a 
tree,  the  most  rocky,  desolate,  bare-looking  mountains  in  the 
world.  Besides  the  little  port,  there  were  -two- old  ruins  up 
on  high  hills,  one  cedar  tree,  six  smaller  ones  and  about  a 
score  of  bushes  in  sight  on  these  rock-ribbed  mountain  sides 
as  far  as  I  could  see  in  either  direction.  A  trail  leading  over 
the  mountain  in  a  low  place,  and  running  along  its  side  for 
grade,  caught  my  attention.  I  saw  almost  a  continual  line 
of  pack  mules  going  each  way.  Over  by  the  water's  edge 
and  back  of  the  houses  were  hundreds  more,  moving  around 
or  standing  still.  They  were  there  to  pack  goods  into  the  in- 
terior. The  men  in  flowing  robes  would  start  one  or  two 
animals  off  and  then  walk  behind  them.  Coming  in  or  going 
out,  if  the  load  was  light,  they  would  ride. 

It  is  a  two  days'  journey  to  reach  their  capital.  We  sailed 
along  over  these  charming  seas,  clad  in  summer  breezes.  We 
came  to  Corfu  just  a  little  after  noon,  on  an  island,  its  most 
northern  point.  On  the  mainland  a  bay  of  considerable  size 
indented  the  shore,  and  the  same  desolate  look  on  mountain 
and  land.  Corfu,  this  warm  summer  day,  with  shade  trees 
and  carriages  in  waiting  to  carry  one  about^  looked  inviting, 
yet  we  did  not  land,  as  the  steamer  does  not  come  to  a  pier 
at  any  of  these  ports. 

Our  course  now  lay  a  little  to  the  southeast  through  a  strait 
about  twenty-five  miles  wide.  On  the  otbefr  side  of  the  island 
beyond  Corfu  I  saw  a  few  trees.  All  day  we  met  and  passed 
several  sail  boats — on  one  I  counted  sixteen  sails  set.  Until 
night  the  mainland  in  Turkey  still  continued  to  present  the 
most   rocky  and   desolate   appearance   I   ever   saw.     At  half 


FROM    ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  123 

past  seven  in  the  evening  I  walked  on  the  upper  deck.  The 
clouds  were  gone,  the  wind  blew  from  the  east,  a  nice,  soft, 
refreshing  breeze  after  the  heat  of  the  day.  The  evening  star 
shone  with  wonderful  brilliancy,  other  stars  were  twinkling 
merrily  in  the  heavens,  and  the  Milky  Way  in  one  grand, 
reaching  sweep  of  brilliant  beauty,  circled  the  heavens  from 
southeast  to  northeast.  I  located  the  north  star  and  the  dip- 
pers and  gazed  with  fondness  on  star  after  star,  the  very 
same  ones  that  I  have  so  often  loved  to  watch  from  my  Cali- 
fornia home.  Turning  my  eyes  toward  the  sea  I  looked.  In 
the  southeast,  just  above  the  horizon,  commencing  with  the 
Milky  Way,  only  of  its  width  and  tapering  out  towara  one 
zenith  was  a  band  of  brilliant  light,  brightest  at  its  commence- 
ment. Out  upon  the  rippling  sea  the  reflection  of  this  to 
me  unlocked  for  and  surprising  light,  shone  with  more  splen- 
dor than  if  all  the  diamonds  in  the  South  African  mines  were 
scattered  over  that  strip  of  sea.  I  was  spellbound.  The  most 
brilliant  part  of  it  was  just  over  the  horizon,  where  sea  and 
sky  flashed  almost  together,  eclipsing  in  effect  all  the  incan- 
descent lights  that  Edison  ever  made;  for  many  minutes  I 
looked  in  quiet  rapture.  I  do  not  remember  of  ever  reading 
of  anything  similar.  I  returned  to  the  cabin.  Just  one  hour 
later  I  again  walked  on  the  upper  deck.  The  stars  shone  as 
bright,  the  cool,  refreshing  breeze  was  there,  catching  my 
throbt)ing  brow  and  resting  on  my  upturned  cheeks  as  before. 
The  Milky  Way  was  there.  The  brilliant  light,  with  all  of  its 
flashing  reflections,  centering  in  one  grand  diadem  of  light, 
just  above  the  horizon,  was  gone.  Between  me  and  the  Milky 
Way  the  sea  rolled  along  in  rippling  waves,  as  shown  by 
lights  on  the  ship,  but  beyond  all  was  darkness  and  gloom, 
as  it  was  one  hour  before  at  every  point  of  the  compass.  I 
cannot  explain.  It  certainly  was  no  reflection  from  the  sun- 
set. In  calculation  those  bright  scintilations  of  light,  all 
pointing  towards  the  horizon,  would  just  about  point  towards 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  our  present  destination.  Was  it  a 
beacon  light,  something  like  the  shepherds  saw  (Luke  2:8) 
"keeping  watch  over  their  flocks  by  night"  nearly  two  thou- 


124  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    CLOSE. 

sand  years  ago?  Or  was  it  a  token  of  blessing  to  me  and 
approval  of  my  intended  travels  in  the  Holy  Land?  Or 
was  it  that  wonderful  city  "New  Jerusalem"  (Rev.  21:2), 
with  its  gates  of  pearls,  its  streets  paved  with  pure  gold, 
stretching  out  in  size  fifteen  hundred  miles  wide,  long  and 
deep,  "and  her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone  most  precious,  even 
like  jasper,  clear  as  crystal"  (Rev.  21:11),  and  destined,  after 
this  old  world  is  resurrected  from  its  ashes,  to  be  moved  down 
from  the  heavens  above,  where  you  and  I  can  "walk  in  the 
light  of  it"  (Rev.  21 :24)  .-'  Did  heaven  open  its  portals  long 
enough,  letting  the  angels  swing  wide  open  the  twelve  gates 
of  pearl,  throwing  through  the  interminable  realms  of  space 
something  of  this  light,  catching  the  Milky  Way  in  its  course, 
until  by  reflection  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  "the  holy  city"  (Rev. 
21 :2) ? 

I  am  writing  this  not  far  from  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  but  sit- 
ting on  another  steamer,  looking  at  the  mountains  of  Asia  in 
the  distance.  I  am  still  wondering,  as  I  am  looking  into  the 
calm,  blue  depths  of  this  historic  sea,  what  the  meaning  of 
this  vision  to  me.  Was  it  the  beating  pulse  of  loving  na- 
ture's flow?  Was  it  another  throb  of  some  volcano's  glow? 
I  cannot  explain  the  vision  or  its  sight,  unless  it  was  a  glimpse 
of  heavenly  light. 

The  next  morning  our  steamer  sailed  into  the  port  of 
Patros,  in  Greece,  just  before  sunrise.  I  was  on  deck  at  early 
dawn.  At  the  left  of  the  harbor  are  two  beautiful  mountainik. 
Just  as  the  sun  rose,  our  luggage  was  in  a  boat,  and  accom- 
panying it  were  these  two  Californians.  Very  soon  we  were 
lined  up  with  the  luggage  in  the  custom  house  for  inspec- 
tion. As  usual,  there  was  much  talking  and  tumbling  over  of 
luggage.  I  saw  the  inspector  tell  one  woman,  as  I  judged  by 
their  motions,  to  hide  a  piece  of  fine  dress  goods  under  her 
cloak.  This  ordeal  over,  we  had  our  luggage  taken  to  a  hotel, 
and  we  started  to  walk.  What  curious  shops,  queer  customs, 
dirt,  heat,  sunshine  and  flies.  We  came  to  a  Greek  church, 
entered  and  saw  two  priests  chanting  some  sort  of  a  service. 
There  was  only  one  worshipper  present,  and  one  more  going 


FROM    ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  125 

i*  as  we  came  out  The  large  chandelier  was  covered  with  a 
red  cloth,  looking  like  a  red  balloon  ready  to  sail  away. 
Better  muzzle  the  flies.  We  purchased  three  pounds  of  grapes 
for  sixty  leptas.  We  returned  to  the  hotel.  The  train  for 
Athens  was  ready. 

We  entered  and  away  we  went,  looking,  every  sense  on  the 
alert,  to  see  and  catch  something  of  historical  Greece.  In  our 
compartment,  by  my  side,  sits  a  Greek  priest;  just  opposite 
a  Greek  soldier  and  other  Greek  men,  women  and  children, 
sitting  all  around,  as  the  train  is  full.  The  conductor  does  not 
come  into  the  train  at  all  during  the  day.  While  the  train  is 
running  he  climbs  along  on  one  wooden  step,  about  one  foot 
wide,  attached  to  the  outside  of  the  car,  and,  as  the  windows 
are  all  let  down,  looks  in  the  window  of  the  door  and  gathers 
the  tickets. 

It  seemed  singular  that  the  first  tree  I  saw  in  Greece  was 
an  eucalyptus  tree  of  Australian  origin.  At  first  we  passed 
through  vineyards,  pruned  and  without  stakes,  looking  ex- 
actly like  our  California  vineyards,  except  that  the  rows  were 
a  little  closer  together  and  no  roads  through  them,  as  the 
people  carry  the  fruit  on  their  heads.  There  were  some  olive 
trees  in  the  vineyards.  I  saw  men  treading  out  wine  from 
grapes  with  their  feet.  At  times  we  were  some  little  distance 
from  the  sea,  again  just  by  the  shores,  looking  down  into  its 
blue  waters,  where  every  rock  on  the  bottom  resembled  chunks 
of  blue  vitrol.  Every  little  while  we  would  cross  a  river 
bed,  now  dry  and  full  of  gravel,  coursing  its  way  to  the  sea. 
Some  of  the  mountain  sides  to  the  right  were  too  steep  to  cul- 
tivate and  had  some  brush  looking  like  oak.  Over  in  the 
interior  were  some  mountains,  yet  they  were  bare  and  deso- 
late. We  saw  some  very  fine  tall  cypress  trees.  They  are 
extremely  handsome,  of  a  very  dark  colored  green.  At  a 
small  station  I  saw  one  each  of  umbrella  trees  and  weeping 
willow.  By  the  side  of  the  road  were  some  wild  flowers, 
thistles  and  blackberry  bushes.  The  country  was  dry  and 
there  was  plenty  of  dust  flying  off  the  country  roads. 

We  came  to  quite  a  large  place.    Hundreds  of  boys  and  girls 


126  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

were  sorting  currants,  and  men  were  nailing  up  the  empty 
boxes,  out  of  doors,  while  a  ship  was  waiting  in  the  gulf  or 
strait  to  carry  them  away.  They  are  the  Zante  currants  of 
commerce.  We  passed  magnificent  groves  of  olive  trees,  with 
the  limbs  bending  to  the  ground  with  olives.  We  saw  them 
irrigating  on  the  basin  plan.  The  pomegranates  were  very 
fine,  and  no  better  grapes  anywhere.  The  olive  trees  look 
more  thrifty  than  in  Italy  and  average  larger.  We  saw  thou- 
sands of  them. 

We  found  by  consulting  our  railroad  schedule  that  we 
would  arrive  in  Corinth  at  i  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  75  miles 
from  Athens;  and  we  could  resume  our  journey  at  4  o'clock 
by  catching  another  train.  We  did  so,  hiring  a  carriage 
to  take  us  from  New  Corinth,  to  the  Corinth  of 
Paul's  time.  As  we  drove  away  from  the  station, 
through  a  poor  looking  town,  I  saw  many  of  the  poorer 
houses  built  of  adobe,  and  many  walls  constructed  of  gray 
bricks  of  adobe.  We  passed  out  of  this  village  and  for  about 
half  a  mile  by  the  edge  of  the  water.  We  halted  the  carriage 
and  walked  by  this  lovely  sea,  dipping  our  hands  in  the 
water.  Directly  inland  is  a  round  mountain  about  two  miles 
from  the  seashore,  several  hundred  feet  high,  the  upper  part 
having  precipitous  sides.  It  is  a  natural  fortification,  and  by 
name  is  called  Acro-Corinthus,  meaning  the  citadel  of  Corinth. 
We  drove  directly  towards  this  mountain  from  the  sea.  About 
half  way  we  ascended  a  sloping  rise  in  the  land  of  perhaps 
thirty  feet,  and  at  the  base  of  this  mountain  extending  out  to 
this  slope  and  very  hard  to  tell  how  far  each  way  the  rich, 
prosperous  and,  in  Paul's  time,  important  city  of  Corinth  stood. 
The  location  of  the  city  was  a  natural  one  at  the  head  of  this 
gulf  of  water  connecting  with  the  Adriatic  sea. 

The  view  was  grand,  this  beautiful  sea  in  front,  tall  moun- 
tains on  the  other  side,  and  off  to  the  left  a  valley  widening 
out,  and  vineyards,  with  the  stubble  still  standing  of  wheat 
fields.  No  wonder  Paul  lived  here  eighteen  months,  making 
tents  out  of  goat  skins  and  teaching  the  people.  I  believe  that 
tall  mountains,  mighty  valleys  and  a  love  of  nature  and  na- 


FROM   ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  127 

ture's  ways  are  staircases,  not  to  walk  over  altogether,  but 
to  extract  from,  something  of  their  honey,  then  mixing  it,  with 
a  personal  acquaintance  with  Jesus  Christ,  you  have  the  true 
elixer  of  life  that  philosophers  have  hunted  for  in  all  ages. 
Then  you  have  a  stairway  taller  than  the  tower  of  Babel, 
one  that  will  reach  up  to,  and  beyond  the  stars.  Paul  climbed 
this  stairway,  I  was  looking  at  the  same  sea,  the  same  moun- 
tains and  valleys,  at  similar  flowers  blooming  around  me,  and 
at  similar  clouds  that  were  weaving  their  fleecy  folds  around 
the  rock-capped  mountain  above;  and  as  I  looked  out  on  this 
sea  (the  gulf  of  Lepanto)  gleaming  in  this  afternoon's  sun,  I 
too  climbed  another  span  of  this  stairway. 

Another  point  of  vantage  gained; 
Another  height  of  glory  reached; 
Another  touch  of  nature's  love ; . 
Molding  me  for  heaven  above. 

It  pays  to  sit  at  nature's  feet  and  learn  of  nature's  ways. 
I  have  gathered  from  the  storehouse  of  nature  in  this  little 
trip  so  far  such  bounteous  sweets  that  I  am  wondering  if  na- 
ture's storehouse  has  any  more  for  me ;  I  am  sure  it  has. 

As  I  write  these  lines,  October  15,  I  am  sitting  on  a  steamer 
in  Beirout,  Syria,  looking  at  the  mountains  of  Lebanon, 
where  the  cedars  grew,  catching  loving  nature's  flow  of  sweet- 
ness as  never  before,  still  traveling  toward  the  Promised 
Land. 

All  around  me  were  ruins,  marble  columns,  pillars,  beauti- 
ful work  in  sculpture,  great  arches  still  standing,  the  thea- 
ter that  once  resounded  with  shouts  and  music,  aqueducts 
for  water,  a  few  peasants'  homes,  some  of  them  built  of 
broken  ruins,  and  in  the  midst  of  them  the  largest  cotton- 
wood  tree  I  ever  saw.  Foundations,  size  of  buildings  easily 
traced,  old  pavements  over  which  the  tread  of  those  Corin- 
thian people  are  lost  in  the  echoes  of  the  past,  proclaimed  the 
greatness  of  Corinth.  In  and  among  the  ruins  a  few  little 
garden   stuffs  being  watered  by  hand  were  trying  to  grow. 


128  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

Some  women  were  washing  on  marble  slabs  lying  on  the 
ground;  these  may  have  been  in  the  synagogue  that  Paul 
"reasoned  in — every  Sabbath"  (Acts  18:4).  Read  the  i8th 
chapter  and  see  how  the  Lord  appeared  to  Paul  one  night  in 
a  vision,  and  also  after  the  stay  of  eighteen  months,  he 
"tarried  yet  a  good  while."  Think  of  the  two  grand  letters 
he  wrote  to  them  in  keeping  with  their  location  and  inspiring 
scenery.  Look  at  the  first  verse  of  the  second  letter  and 
see  who  else  is  included,  and  remember  that  Paul  was  so 
interested  in  these  people  that  he  wrote  a  third  letter  to 
them,  which  was  lost  and  not  yet  found.  As  we  drove  away  I 
lingered  to  look  at  mountain,  cloud,  land,  sea  and  sky,  and 
I  began  to  see  where  Paul  obtained,  coupled  with  Divine  in- 
spiration, words  full  of  counsel,  pathos  and  tenderness.  We 
rode  back  to  the  station,  paid  our  driver  the  agreed  price, 
twelve  drachmas,  ordered  a  cup  of  tea  each  at  a  restaurant, 
sipped  it  with  delight,  and  boarded  our  train  as  it  rolled  into 
the  station  with  our  faces  set  towards  Athens,  whose  very 
name  means,  "Minerva,  the  Goddess  of  Literature." 

While  waiting  for  the  train  to  start,  I  cast  my  eyes  up  and 
down  the  well-crowded  station  front  to  see  how  these  Corin- 
thian people  looked — baggy  trousers,  white  shirts  worn  by 
men,  shoes  tipped  up  in  front,  wads  of  black  hair  on,  the  top 
of  the  tips  as  large  and  round  as  the  brush  on  the  back  of  a 
blacking  brush,  red  caps,  costumes  of  all  colors  and  stripes; 
some  dressed  like  us,  all  talking  like  the  roar  of  a  whirlpool, 
in  a  language  unknown  to  us,  and  you  have  some  idea  of  the 
kind  of  people  Corinthians  are  today.  The  train  ran  along, 
we  crossed  the  ship  canal — a  deep  straight-cut  in  the  rocks 
from  sea  to  sea,  looking  to  be  two  or  three  miles  long. 
At  a  small  station  we  saw  a  lot  of  goat  skins  full  of  wine 
for  shipment.  We  passed  some  scrubby  pine  trees,  then 
mountains  all  rocks,  and  a  town  among  them.  Over  the  rol- 
ling slope  between  the  sea  and  the  mountains  were  thousands 
of  olive  trees — not  a  spear  of  green  grass  in  sight — all  the 
mountain  tops  bare  and  desolate  and  the  olive  trees  were  dry 


FROM    ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  129 

and  poor.  No  forest  trees — rocks  and  desolation.  Darkness 
settled  about  us,  a  relief  to  tired  eyes  and  brain. 

On  our  arrival  in  Athens,  a  city  founded  soon  after  the 
flood,  we  hired  a  cab,  drove  to  the  Hotel  Patros  and  were 
soon  snugly  ensconced  in  our  room. 

In  the  morning  in  Athens,  while  we  were  talking  with  the 
hotel  proprietor,  I  showed  him  my  passport.  He  looked  at  it 
and  shook  his  head.  He  could  read  the  language.  The  ras- 
cally consul  general  of  Turkey  in  Rome  had  played  a  trick  on 
us  and  put  the  'visa"  on  for  Alexander,  in  Egypt.  We  must 
get  another  "visa"  or  we  could  never  land  in  Asia,  where  Tur- 
key ruled.  Our  steamer  would  sail  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  from  the  harbor  of  Piraeus,  five  miles  from  Athens. 
We  decided  to  hire  a  carriage  and  a  guide,  one  that  could  talk 
English,  as  we  must  get  to  Piraeus  just  before  noon  to  get 
our  passports  fixed.  We  completed  our  arrangements  and 
started  out  to  see  Athens. 

The  first  thing  we  noticed  was  a  row  of  Mexican  pepper 
trees.  We  drove  towards  the  Acropolis,  first  walking  in 
and  among  the  ruins  of  one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the 
ancient  world.  We  were  looking  at  the  temple  of  Jupiter 
Olympus.  A  few  of  the  fluted  columns  of  marble  are  still 
standing,  of  the  original  one  hundred  and  twenty,  fifty-seven 
feet  high,  looking  as  large  as  the  ordinary  tower  of  a  country 
church,  chiseled  out  of  the  finest  of  Pentelican  marble,  with 
flutes  running  around  the  columns  in  a  partial  cylindrical 
style.  We  walked  around  the  second  largest  temple  for 
heathen  worship,  the  one  of  Diana  at  Ephesus  being  the 
largest.  Even  in  its  ruins,  we  looked  on  in  wonder  and 
amazement.  It  stretched  out  from  the  base  of  the  Acropolis 
to  the  banks  of  the  celebrated  river  Ilissus  of  the  classics. 

As  we  drove  up  towards  the  top  of  the  Acropolis,  so  named 
because  it  was  an  immense  rock  rising  abruptly  out  of  the 
plain,  of  considerable  size  on  top,  I  was  surprised  to  sec  not 
one  but  many  score  of  century  plants,  only  I  noticed  none 
that  had  recently  thrown  that  wonderful  shaft  upwards  into 
the  sky  of  stalk  and  bloom.    In  the  days  of  Athens'  splendor 


130  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

and  triumph  the  Acropolis  was  covered  with  temples.  We 
walked  around  on  their  ruins,  gazing  at  their  stupendous 
magnificence,  as  their  size,  the  cunning  work  of  the  sculp- 
tor's hand  on  marble  in  figure,  column,  base  and  cap,  with 
cornice  to  match,  the  curve  or  circle  of  foundations,  still  un- 
moved, and  their  number,  as  every  Grecian  god  had  a 
temple,  filled  us  with  speechless  awe.  The  largest  and  best 
preserved  is  the  temple  of  Minerva,  the  patron  deity  of  Ath- 
ens, as  its  name  indicates. 

We  were  admitted  to  the  prison  hewn  out  of  a  rock,  and 
stood  on  the  place  where  Socrates  was  imprisoned,  and  we 
thought  of  that  hour  when  they  made  him  take  the  poison 
in  the  very  place  where  we  stood,  when  this  sublime  philoso- 
pher, living  hundreds  of  years  B.  C,  with  only  the  light  and 
touch  of  nature  to  guide  him,  said :  "Weep  not  for  Socrates ; 
he  will  not  be  here;  he  is  going  to  dwell  with  the  God  for 
whose  testimony  he  lays  down  his  life."  We  walked  up  on 
Mars  Hill,  not  far  from  the  Acropolis,  and  stood  where  Paul 
preached  to  the  assembled  multitude,  and  if  you  will  insert 
in  the  first  verse  of  that  sermon,  as  recorded  in  the  seven- 
teenth chapter  of  Acts,  in  place  of  the  words  "too  supersti- 
tious," the  words  "very  religious,"  the  real  meaning,  then 
you  will  catch  a  glimpse  (as  we  saw  the  full  force,  with 
temples  of  worship  all  around)  of  Paul's  thoughts  and  argu- 
ment. 

We  climbed  into  the  great  amphitheatre  hewn  out  of  the 
rock,  on  the  Hill  of  the  Pnyx,  and  stood  where  Demosthenes, 
the  greatest  of  orators,  held  the  people  spellbound,  as  his 
burning  words  of  eloquence  touched  their  hearts  and  lives. 
We  saw  glistening  in  the  distance  the  new  marble  seats  re- 
cently placed  in  the  Olympic  Stadium,  where  the  ancient  races 
were  run.  We  saw  the  temple  of  Thesus  on  a  little  rise  of 
land  below  the  Acropolis,  almost  in  a  state  of  preservation, 
yet  three  thousand  years  old.  We  saw  thirty-six  marble  coir 
umns  supporting  its  porticos.  We  went  into  the  museum  and 
saw  statues  of  Greece's  mighty  men,  gold  trinkets  and  masks 
for  their  faces,  and  shrouds  made  of  gold,  which  the  kings 


PARTHENON. 

ATHENS. 


PROM    ROME  TO  SMYRNA.  131 

and  queens  of  Greece  had  buried  with  them  thousands  of 
years  ago.  We  saw  their  lamps,  water  jars  and  many  other 
things,  mementoes  of  the  past 

Casting  only  a  look  at  the  Hills  of  the  Muses  and  Nymphs, 
we  drove  towards  the  harbor  of  Piraeus.  At  the  north  arc 
the  mountains  of  Parnassus,  and  it  is  said  on  the  top  of 
its  highest  mountain  sparkles  a  spring  of  water  called  the 
"Pierian  Fountain,"  and  to  every  one  that  climbs  the  moun- 
tain and  drinks  of  this  fountain  that  there  is  imparted  to 
them  the  true  genius  of  philosophy  and  poetry.  You  may 
laugh  and  call  it  a  whim,  yet  I  really  wanted  to  climb  this 
mountain.  On  the  south  is  Mt.  Hymettus,  celebrated  for 
its  fine  honey.  Athens  has  one  fine  street,  considerable 
business,  many  novel  sights,  as  here  European  ways  are 
being  cast  aside,  or  rather  never  learned,  and  Oriental  cos- 
tumes and  customs  were  attracting  our  attention.  We 
met  carts  loaded  with  goat  skins  filled  with  wine,  with  feet 
of  the  once  live  goat  sticking  up  or  out  one  side  in  the  air. 
We  met  coming  from  the  harbor  loads  of  blankets  from 
France,  and  coal  from  England.  Either  side  of  the  road 
as  we  drove  to  Piraeus  was  dry  and  bare,  except  where 
some  pumping  of  water  was  being  done  in  a  crude  way, 
enough  to  irrigate  some  small  gardens.  The  mountains 
were  bare,  not  a  tree,  scarcely  a  bush.  Were  these  the  fa- 
mous plains  of  Attica,  once  so  fertile  that  poets  caught  the 
blush  of  its  beauty  and  wove  into  lines  of  rythme,  such  a 
a  charm  of  thought  and  expression?  We  arrived  in  Piraeus, 
hunted  up  the  Turkish  consul  and  obtained  his  "visa."  As 
he  handed  them  to  us  we  discovered  that  only  Smyrna  was 
included.  We  also  asked  for  Jaffa,  which  he  reluctantly 
added.     We  had  the  privilege  of  paying  ten  francs. 

As  we  sailed  out  of  the  harbor  we  were  in  the  bay  of 
Salamis,  where  one  of  the  most  memorable  naval  battles  in 
the  world  was  fought.  You  know  the  history  of  how  this 
mighty  Persian  king,  on  yonder  round-topped  mountain  on 
the  north,   overlooking   this   beautiful   bay,   had   his     golden 


132  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

throne  set  up,  and,  sitting  in  it,  ordered  his  fleet  of  ships 
to  destroy  the  little  Grecian  fleet.  To  his  surprise,  the 
Greeks  burned  his  ships  and  obtained  a  sweeping  victory. 
Not  many  miles  distant,  afterwards  his  mighty  army  was 
defeated  by  the  Greeks.  We  watched  the  islands  and  the 
mountains  of  Greece  as  long  as  we  could  see,  as  we  sailed 
over  this  calm  ^gean  sea,  fanned  by  summer  breezes,  I 
mused  about  many  things.  Always  in  Europe  on  the  rail- 
way trains  the  first  thing  I  looked  for  in  the  morning  were 
the  wild  flowers,  and  the  last  I  looked  for  in  the  evening. 
They  were  always  there  to  welcome  me.  Up  near  Moscow 
they  were  nearly  chilled  out  of  existence,  yet  they  were 
there,  making  me  look  close  and  seeing  only  the  tiniest 
ones,  almost  strangled  with  cold.  The  most  surprising  part 
was  that  up  in  Scotland  the  red  poppies  were  very  plentiful, 
peeping  above  the  uncut  grain.  Scattered  through  England. 
and  sometimes  lost  for  days  on  the  continent,  yet  at  times 
hundreds  of  miles  apart,  this  scarlet  poppy  would  come 
in  view,  if  not  more  than  one. 

In  the  morning  I  walked  on  deck  to  see  the  surroundings. 
We  were  sailing  over  seas  so  placid  that  they  might  be 
called  "seas  of  marble."  At  the  island  of  Chios  we  came 
to  anchor  before  a  town  of  several  thousand  inhabitants, 
prettily  situated,  and  with  an  apparent  Sabbath  still- 
ness on  shore.  After  discharging  some  freight  and  taking 
in  some  passengers,  we  again  sailed.  It  was  a  beautiful 
day,  clear,  with  just  a  little  cool  breeze  blowing  from  the 
north,  which  seemed  to  be  tempered  by  the  frosts  of  Russia 
as  it  came  pushing  its  way  through  the  Dardanelles.  There 
were  a  good  many  passengers  on  board.  I  walked  on  deck 
to  watch  the  mountains  of  Asia.  As  we  came  nearer  they 
were  much  different  from  those  in  Greece — not  so  rocky, 
and  trees  and  bushes,  or  fields  under  cultivation  covered 
their  slopes. 

As  we  sailed  into  our  place  of  anchorage  in  Smyrna,  I 
was  surprised  to  see  such  a  large  city  circling  the  end  of 
the  gulf — the   largest   in  Asia   Minor,   about  300,000  popula- 


FROM    ROME   TO   SMYRNA.  183 

tion.  The  steamer  cast  its  anchor  and  a  small  boat  came 
from  the  shore  flying  the  yellow  flag  of  quarantine,  and 
reported  that  a  case  of  black  plague  had  occurred,  and 
Smyrna  might  be  quarantined.  We  would  either  have  to 
go  ashore  or  sail  up  to  Constantinople.  All  the  passengers 
decided  to  go  ashore.  A  large  barge  was  moored  alongside 
the  ship,  and  while  it  looked  like  a  trap,  we  went  on  the 
barge.  No  one  was  allowed  to  touch  the  ship,  and  Elmer, 
after  he  got  off,  as  the  barge  rolled  a  little,  put  out  his  hand 
to  touch  the  ship,  and  those  watching  shouted  to  him  at 
the  top  of  their  voices,  as  the  ship  wanted  to  avoid  all 
communication  with  the  land,  or  with  anybody  after  they 
left.  What  a  shouting  and  noise,  and  we  were  taken  di- 
rectly to  the  custom  house,  where  our  luggage  was  in- 
spected and  passports  demanded.  I  never  was  in  such 
confusion  before.  Luckily  for  us,  they  overlooked  the  Eng- 
lish hold-all.  We  went  to  a  hotel  and  concluded  that  it 
was  the  queerest  afternoon  we  ever  spent — and  on  Sunday. 

Towards  evening  we  took  a  walk.  The  narrowest  of 
streets,  stores  all  wide  open  and  selling  goods  of  all  kinds, 
and  the  queerest  of  people.  We  nearly  got  lost  with  the 
top  of  a  sloping  hill  and  the  sea  as  sides  of  the  city.  It  took 
one  hour  of  hard  walking  to  find  our  way  to  the  sea  front 
where  our  hotel  was,  and  we  were  not  ten  minutes'  walk 
away.  No  sort  of  church  services  did  we  see,  and  thousands 
sitting  out  of  doors  in  the  European  cafe  style.  In  the 
morning  we  visited  the  American  Consul.  He  did  not  give 
us  much  comfort  as  he  said  "a  rigid  quarantine  was  liable  to 
be  established."  We  could  only  hope  to  get  out  of  Smyrna 
without  going  through  quarantine.  We  saw  near  the  Con- 
sul's office  two  caravans  of  camels  loaded  with  licorice  root 
from  the  mountains. 

The  Consul  told  us  that  we  could  depend  on  no  one.  He 
said:  "All  will  lie  for  five  cents."  He  informed  me  that  the 
exports  were  figs,  wool,  cotton,  licorice,  grain  and  wine.  He 
told  me  that  books  were  generally  taken  by  the  Turkish  offi- 


134  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

cials,  if  they  contained  anything  on  the  country,  I  told  him 
what  books  we  had.    He  said,  "they  will  get  them." 

We  went  to  the  Imperial  and  Ottoman  bank  to  draw  some 
money.  It  was  half-past  two  in  the  afternoon.  Do  not  think 
it  was  easily  found,  for  we  had  to  have  a  guide  to  lead  u« 
there  through  such  streets  as  you  never  dreamed  of,  narrow, 
and  crooked.  The  bank  was  not  open  until  3  o'clock.  All 
the  offices  and  banks  open  from  nine  to  twelve  in  the  morn- 
ing, then  close  and  open  from  three  to  six  in  the  afternoon. 

I  presented  our  request  as  these  large  banks  always  have 
some  one  to  'speak  English,  and  was  asked  what  kind  of 
money  I  wanted,  I  said  "Napoleons,"  as  French  gold  is 
called. 

While  waiting  I  was  astonished  to  see  such  large  deposits 
and  withdrawals — bags  of  gold,  and  not  counted — all 
weighed;  and  as  they  were  emptied  they  used  shovels  to  put 
the  gold  on  the  scales.  The  noise  sounded  like  shoveling 
loose  corn  and  beans,  only  there  was  a  metallic  clink.  I 
secured  what  I  asked  for  and  as  we  passed  down  into  the 
street  I  saw  a  carriage  at  the  door,  and  three  large  sacks  of 
gold  lifted  out.  A  donkey  had  three  sacks  more,  with  porters 
behind,  and  top  of  a  man's  back  a  little  further  along,  were 
three  sacks  more  of  gold,  with  guards  about,  all  going  into 
the  bank. 

Can  I  picture  this  wonderful  street  scene?  Women  veiled, 
nearly  all  the  men  dressed  in  red  caps,  most  of  them  flowing 
robes;  some  women  not  veiled;  caravans  of  camels;  all  in 
streets  so  narrow  as  you  meet  them  you  have  to  crowd  to 
one  side  while  they  pass;  donkeys  with  loads  on  their  backs 
larger  than  they;  Arabs  with  flowing  capes  on. 

We  met  men  selling  water  with  skins  full  of  it  on  their 
backs;  selling  lemonade  out  of  large  bottles,  and  traveling 
stores  on  men's  backs,  selling  all  sorts  of  goods.  The  roughest 
of  cobblestones  are  used  for  pavement  in  the  narrow  streets, 
some  of  them  covered  in  a  ramshackle  way,  letting  but  little 
light  in — no  sidewalks,  everybody  and  all  the  animals  in  the 
street;  dogs  fast  asleep  under  your  feet  or  howling  at  night; 


I 


FROM    ROME    TO   SMYRNA.  135 

dirt,  flies  and  smells  too  numerous  to  mention ;  and  the  streets 
beginning  and  ending,  just  as  it  seemed  to  happen. 

On  the  water  front  is  the  only  wide  street,  with  horse 
cars  running,  the  horses  hitched  to  the  cars  ten  feet  away  with 
ropes  for  tugs ;  money  changers  sitting  on  the  streets,  rattling 
the  coin  in  their  hands.  As  we  sat  in  the  hotel  I  heard  some- 
body playing  on  a  piano  in  an  adjoining  building  a  piece  of 
Faust's  opera  music  and  as  we  sat  at  the  dining  table  a  dress- 
maker was  making  up  dresses  for  the  hotel  proprietor's  girls, 
consulting  Butterick's  fashion  plates,  and  using  a  Singer  hand 
machine.  We  visited  the  American  college,  called  undenomi- 
national, yet  really  under  control  and  support  of  the  Con- 
gregationalists.  They  get  now  and  then  Turkish  girls  in  the 
school,  then  comes  a  sweeping  order  from  the  Ottoman  gov- 
ernment forbidding  any  attendance  at  Christian  schools,  and 
they  are  taken  away.  In  the  country  Turkish  girls  are  not 
educated  and  all  Turks  believe  that  women  have  no  souls. 

We  purchased  very  fine  grapes  to  eat,  making  us  think  of 
the  game  played  and  words  used  many  years  ago  in  New 
York  State.  "The  Malaga  grapes  are  very  good  grapes  but 
the  grapes  of  Smyrna  are  better."  In  the  evenings  thou- 
sands of  men  and  unveiled  women  would  gather  along  the 
street  on  the  seafront  and  sit  by  tables,  sipping  drinks,  smok- 
ing, talking,  the  ladies  all  dressed  up  in  the  most  approved 
Continental  European  style.  The  proportion  of  Mohamme- 
dans to  Christians  in  the  population  is  small,  so  marked  that 
the  Turks  speak  of  Smyrna  as  "the  infidel  city."  Alas !  Here 
in  this  Oriental  land,  everything  not  Mohammedan  is  shaken 
up  all  together  and  called  "Christian." 


V. 

tphesuSf  SDamaseus  and  Palestine 


One  morning  we  arose  before  sunrise  and  as  the  sun  was 
looking  at  us  from  over  the  hills  and  mountains  of  Asia,  we 
were  briskly  walking  along  the  sea  front,  distance  about  one 
and  one-half  miles  to  catch  the  railroad  train  for  Ephesus, 
only  one  running  each  way  a  day;  distance  about  fifty 
miles.  We  were  just  in  time,  secured  our  tickets  for  sixty 
piastres,  and  were  rolling  away  on  the  train  at  half-past  six. 
At  a  small  station,  the  first  stop  on  the  edge  of  the  city, 
many  more  passengers — all  men — crowded  into  the  train,  with 
all  sorts  of  luggage — dark  featured,  many  in  flowing  robes 
of  all  colors  and  stripes ;  and  as  the  train  again  started,  they 
ate  pomegranates,  chunks  of  bread  and  grapes  with  such 
avidity  as  to  indicate  their  usual  breakfast  At  first  we  saw 
some  orange  trees,  not  many,  but  looking  well.  We  began 
climbing  a  rocky  ravine,  with  some  vineyards  on  the  hill- 
sides; then  we  came  to  a  plateau  of  fine  looking  land.  The 
day  was  warm.  A  few  clouds  were  scattered  between  us 
and  the  sun  in  that  peculiar  manner,  when  people  exclaim, 
"The  sun  is  drawing  water."  The  valley  widened  until  almost 
as  far  as  we  could  see  were  stretches  of  one  of  nature's  most 
lovely  valleys,  fertile  and  as  level  as  any  farmer  could  desire. 
Fields  of  cotton  and  Egyptian  corn  were  scattered  along, 
with  groups  of  people  gathering  cotton.  Beyond  and 
around  these  fields  were  areas  of  stubble  and  uncultivated 
land,  as  dry  and  brown  as  any  October  view  in  California. 
Yonder  not  far  away,   swaying  like  ships  on  a  rolling  sea. 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  137 

was  a  caravan  of  camels  wending  their  way  along.  We  saw 
three  more  caravans  before  reaching  Ephesus. 

Little  stations  were  scattered  along,  and  our  train  halted 
at  everyone;  and  if  anyone  wanted  to  alight  he  had  to  rap 
on  the  door  as  we  were  all  locked  in  and  there  was  no  way 
of  walking  along  the  train.  The  guard  at  each  station  raps 
loudly  on  the  outside  of  the  doors  announcing  the  station. 
At  all  the  larger  stations  women,  boys  and  sometimes  men, 
ran  along  the  train  on  the  outside,  selling  water  from  jugs  at 
about  a  penny  a  glass.  If  you  wanted  any  you  reached  from 
the  windows,  all  opened  by  shoving  them  downwards.  At 
every  station  men  flocked  to  the  windows,  sometimes  two 
heads  out  of  one  window,  until  from  the  outside  our  train 
looked  like  a  row  of  red  night  caps,  as  nearly  all  wore  the 
red  fez. 

The  most  peculiar  feature  of  the  engine  was  a  cow  catcher 
attached;  nowhere  seen  in  Europe.  About  half  way  to  Eph- 
esus there  is  a  branch  road  running  to  the  north,  and  as  far 
as  we  could  see,  the  country  in  valley,  slope,  hill  and  mount- 
ain, is  as  handsome  and  fertile  as  any  in  the  world.  We 
passed  a  damp  place  and  saw  a  large  company  of  Arabs,  with 
their  tents  and  ponys  camped  there.  Most  of  these  valleys 
have  water  near  the  surface  and  if  I  am  any  judge,  artesian 
water  could  be  made  to  flow  in  streams  as  refreshing  as 
the  one  that  flowed  from  the  rock  in  response  to  the  touch  of 
Moses's  rod.  A  few  miles  before  we  reached  Ephesus,  we 
came  into  a  region  of  the  finest  fig  orchards  I  ever  saw,  in 
large  orchards,  each  side  of  the  road.  Such  monstrous  trees 
and  so  dark  and  thrifty  in  appearance. 

Our  train  came  to  a  station  marked  Avassoulook.  We  con- 
cluded the  name  stood  for  Ephesus,  as  it  was  time  to  arrive, 
and  showing  our  tickets  were  motioned  to  get  off.  We  had 
five  hours  and  we  started  to  walk  to  old  Ephesus  over  two 
miles  away.  In  the  new  town  we  saw  lots  of  ruins,  columns 
standing,  and  arches,  yet  having  seen  so  many  old  ruins 
we  were  getting  to  be  judges  and  concluded  that  these  ruins 
were  not  old  enough  and  placed  them  in  the  middle  ages. 


138  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

We  trudged  along,  meeting  camels  and  two  droves  of  cattle. 
It  was  very  warm,  clouds  all  cleared  away  and  the  sun  beat- 
ing down  on  field  and  road  with  the  power  of  Southern 
climes.  I  took  coat,  vest  and  collar  off,  and  seeing  some  old 
ruins  in  the  distance  on  the  edge  of  a  hill,  we  concluded  it 
was  Ephesus  and  struck  across  a  cotton  field,  and  then  a 
pasture,  to  reach  them.  As  we  climbed  the  low  hill,  we 
saw  many  more  ruins  in  the  distance  and  leading  to  the  hill. 
About  one  and  one-half  miles  away  we  saw  the  sea.  We 
walked  along.  We  had  expected  to  only  see  some  small 
ruins;  they  were  quite  extensive  ones.  In  the  fields,  on  the 
road,  and  by  the  wayside  lay  piles  of  broken  columns,  cor- 
nices, bits  of  mosaic  pavement,  pieces  of  capitals  with  acanthus 
leaves  on  them  and  lizards  as  they  saw  or  heard  us,  running 
for  cover.  An  Austrian  society  was  excavating,  and  we  came 
to  where  they  were  at  work,  uncovering  water  pipes  of  burned 
clay  resembling  bricks.  We  walked  down  a  wide  street  once 
leading  to  the  sea,  now  all  excavated,  and  what  a  thrill  of 
surprise  and  wonder  caught  us.  We  walked  on  mosaic  pave- 
ments, by  the  side  of  the  bases  of  pillars  once  standing  or 
over  stone  pavements  that  Paul  and  the  people  of  the  church 
of  Ephesus  once  walked  on.  How  long  the  street  was  and 
wider  than  any  we  have  seen  in  other  ancient  cities.  What  a 
wealth  of  alcoves,  of  arches,  and  of  wrecked  marble  pillars ; 
and  as  we  walked  around,  on  the  side  is  the  great  fountain 
where  wreathed  bulls  and  lions,  with  broken  human  figures, 
all  of  marble,  were  lying  so  thick  on  the  pavements  that  we 
could  step  from  piece  to  piece  with  ease.  The  gymnasium, 
market  place,  and  the  custom  house  were  not  far  from  here 
and  by  their  ruins  of  arch,  pillar  and  cap  still  standing  must 
have  been  of  magnitude  and  beauty. 

At  the  east  end  of  this  wide,  noble  street  stood  the  theatre 
where  there  is  such  an  uproar  described  in  Acts,  ipth  chapter. 
It  was  here  where  thousands  of  Ephesians  cried  with  a  loud 
voice  for  two  hours :  "Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians." 
Acts  19-34.  This  theatre  with  the  stairways  and  courts  and 
shrines  at  the  entrances,  hollowed  out  of  a  hill  with  many  of 


CA.MEL  CARAVAN  LOADED  WITH  COTTON. 

EPHESUS. 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND   PALESTINE.  139 

the  pillars  still  standing  in  the  arena,  would  seat  60,000  people. 
We  picked  blackberries  and  ate  them,  ripe,  sweet  and  delic- 
ious, growing  in  this  theatre  and  in  the  streets  approaching 
it.  History  tells  us  that  at  this  time  Ephesus  was  the  most 
wealthy  city  of  Western  Asia,  its  metropolis,  and  here  was 
this  great  "Temple  of  Diana"  two  hundred  years  in  building; 
one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  ancient  world.  We  saw  its 
location,  the  most  complete  in  its  ruins,  not  a  pillar  or  arch 
standing;  tragic,  yet  pathetic  in  its  fall.  An  ancient  gateway 
in  a  narrow  street  still  standing  near  the  main  entrance  to 
the  theatre,  just  the  same  as  in  Paul's  time,  with  ruts  worn 
deep  into  the  hard  stone  pavements,  made  by  passing  wheels. 
We  walked  over  a  mile  by  ruined  temples  toward  New 
Ephesus,  and  came  to  a  large  rock  under  a  wall  of  some 
great  building  perched  on  a  low  hill.  This  wall  was  fully 
five  hundred  feet  long  and  in  some  places  forty  feet  high. 
With  great  arches  under  it  twenty  feet  high  running  under 
into  its  depths  in  some  places  as  far  as  the  light  would  pene- 
trate. Some  immense  building  was  there,  as  we  were  only 
looking  at  the  ruins  and  the  foundation  walls  still  standing.  I 
sat  on  a  rock  under  the  shade  of  this  great  wall,  like  a 
mountain.  I  looked  towards  the  sea,  just  a  level  plain  and 
in  front  five  or  six  miles  away  was  a  low  range  of  mount- 
ains running  to  the  sea,  parallel  with  the  valley.  I  saw  two 
caravans  of  camels  out  in  the  valley  going  towards  the  sea. 
Near  me  stood  a  very  large  fig  tree.  As  we  came  up  a  large 
eagle  flew  away  from  the  ruins,  and  we  saw  two  buzzards 
flying  along.  I  laid  on  the  rock  and  shut  my  eyes.  The 
breeze  from  the  sea  came  in  a  gentle  cooling  way,  and  over 
behind  the  ruins  we  heard  a  flock  of  sandhill  cranes,  utter- 
ing their  peculiar  cry,  so  familiar  to  us  in  California,  as  they 
flew  by.  Perhaps  Paul  sat  on  this  very  rock,  as  he  wrote  that 
inspiring  first  letter  to  the  Corinthians,  here  in  Ephesus 
in  the  spring  of  A.  D.  57,  staying  here  until  after  Pentecost, 
early  in  June.  Where  it  says  in  the  Bible  this 'letter  was 
written  from  Philippi  is  an  error  and  not  in  the  original. 
Some  other  hand  added  that  at  a  later  date.    His  letter  to 


140  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

the  Ephesians,  the  most  heavenly  of  all  his  letters,  was  writ- 
ten in  Rome  about  A.  D.  6i,  four  years  later  in  Paul's  "hired 
house."  Here  in  Ephesus  the  Apostle  John  was  living  in 
A.  D.  121,  when  he  disappeared  and  no  record  of  his  death  is 
given.     Many  Christians  believe  he  was  translated. 

How  real  it  made  Paul's  letters  to  me  to  look  at  the  same 
mountains,  sea  and  valley,  walk  around  on  the  same  pave- 
ments, and  look  and  lie  on  the  same  rocks ;  and  in  every 
way  touch  nature  in  the  same  way  and  at  the  same  place. 
Beautiful  Ephesus  once  located  by  this  gentle  sea,  on  the  most 
fertile  of  soils,  in  a  genial  clime,  and  lovely  mountains  near 
with  outlines  as  fair  as  nature  ever  made. 

We  walked  back  to  the  station,  and  at  one  place  on  the 
road  there  were  Egyptian  com  fields  each  side.  The  stalks 
would  average  eight  feet  high  and  the  com  was  gathered, 
leaving  the  stalks  partly  dry.  I  will  never  forget  the  whirr 
and  rustle  of  those  corn  leaves  as  the  steady  sea  breeze  caught 
them  in  a  twirl  and  whirl,  almost  rivaling  a  group  of  Aeolian 
harps.  The  wild  flowers  were  beautiful  and  in  and  among 
the  ruins  I  picked  some. 

As  we  came  to  the  station  two  men  were  selling  grapes  in 
the  street.  We  purchased  one  piastre's  worth.  They  would 
measure  fully  one  inch  in  diameter  each  way — the  largest  I 
saw.  In  weighing  them  an  old  battered  iron  balance  was  used 
and  only  rocks  for  weights.  While  drinking  some  tea  served 
to  us  in  tumblers,  in  front  of  the  station,  I  looked  at  the  sur- 
roundings. Camels  not  far  away,  lying  down,  their 
loads  still  on  their  backs ;  men  sitting  all  around,  some 
playing  cards,  others  sipping  tea  or  wine  and  yet  others  smok- 
ing; not  far  away  a  lady  making  some  pink  dresses  for  a 
girl,  dogs  sound  asleep  near  our  feet,  donkeys  hitched,  the 
people  dressed  in  Oriental  costumes  and  talking  vociferously. 

We  boarded  the  train,  again  full  of  curious  people,  and  as 
we  halted  a  few  minutes  in  the  edge  of  Smyrna  at  sunset, 
I  looked  over  in  a  vacant  field  and  saw  fully  one  hundred 
camels  lying  down  in  rows,  eating  their  suppers  of  chopped 
hay  or  straw.    The  next  day,  just  before  sunset,  with  some 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  141 

books  tied  under  our  arms  before  being  attired  in  our  coats 
and  vests,  our  luggage  passed  inspection  by  the  Turkish 
officials,  and  we  boarded  the  Urano,  an  Austrian  steamer,  and 
sailed  away. 

In  the  morning,  just  after  sunrise  of  October  9,  I  walked 
on  deck.  At  the  right  were  beautiful  little  islands  and  on 
the  left  as  we  were  sailing  south  were  mountains  in  Asia. 
The  seas  were  as  beautiful  as  ever,  with  soft  summer  breezes 
playing  all  about  us.  While  writing  in  our  room  at  10  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  Elmer  came  and  said,  "we  are  passing  the 
island  of  Patmos."  I  scrambled  on  deck  and  there  to  the 
left,  not  over  two  miles  away,  lay  this  not  large  island,  with 
not  a  house  in  sight,  just  an  undulating  surface  of  hill  and 
dale,  treeless,  yet  altogether  one  of  the  most  historic  islands 
in  the  world.  Here  John  one  Lord's  day  heard  "a  great 
voice  as  of  a  trumpet,'  and  saw  the  Lord  and  wrote  the  mes- 
sage to  the  seven  churches;  and  then  again  "I  looked  and 
behold  a  door  was  opened  in  heaven,"  Rev.  4-1,  and  this 
great  voice  said  to  him  "come  up  hither  and  I  will  show 
thee  things  that  must  be  hereafter."  Wonderful  reading,  this 
Book  of  Revelation,  and  if  anyone  seeks  and  takes  the  gift 
of  knowledge,  one  of  the  nine  gifts  mentioned  in  i  Cor.  12, 
they  will  understand  Revelations  and  get  the  blessing  de- 
scribed in  its  first  chapter  and  third  verse.  How  true  in  the 
first  church  of  the  seven,  the  candlestick  was  taken  away  as 
we  had  just  seen  at  Ephesus.  We  sailed  by  islands  on  the 
right  all  day  and  were  much  interested  in  the  contour  of  the 
mountains  of  Asia.  Mountains,  next  to  clouds,  are  one  of 
nature's  ways  of  touching  me  as  nothing  else. 

About  5  o'clock  we  sailed  into  the  harbor  of  Rhodes,  situ- 
ated on  an  island  of  the  same  name.  As  we  entered  the  har- 
bor, I  wondered  how  large  the  great  "brazen  statue  was,  and 
I  saw  the  two  points  of  land  nearly  a  mile  wide,  where  this 
statue  straddled  the  harbor,  and  ships  sailed  between  the  legs. 
It  was  one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  ancient  world.  Or- 
anges, lemons,  sugar  cane  and  grapes  were  brought  on  board 
for  sale.     Several  windmills  were  being  turned  by  the  wind 


142  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLINQ    THE    GLOBE. 

near  the  shore.  The  town  looked  beautiful  at  a  distance,  as 
all  Turkish  towns  do.  We  sailed  away.  Our  course  now  lay 
to  the  east,  and  as  we  left  Rhodes,  its  minarets,  towers,  town 
and  old  fortifications  were  burnished  in  the  rays  of  the  set- 
ting sun,  with  a  bright  golden  glow.  The  next  morning  I 
arose  early  and  we  were  still  sailing  east,  with  the  main  land 
of  Asia  in  sight  We  made  no  port  during  the  day  and  en- 
countered the  strongest  wind,  with  the  largest  waves  yet 
seen.  Toward  evening  we  came  in  sight  of  the  Taurus 
mountains  in  Asia,  celebrated  in  poetry  and  song.  The  sun- 
set glow  of  this  October  sun  caught  these  mountain  peaks, 
circling  them  in  colors  of  pink  and  violet,  while  all  about  us 
the  sea  wore  its  proud  colors  of  amber  and  gold. 

At  sunrise  October  ii,  I  was  on  deck  and  saw  we  were 
approaching  Meresina,  the  nearest  seaport  to  Tarsus,  the  city 
of  Paul's  nativity.  Tarsus  is  a  city  of  about  thirty  thousand 
at  present  and  lies  east  of  Meresina  about  35  miles.  Another 
city  called  Adana,  of  fifty  thousand,  is  farther  inland.  The 
ship  laid  in  this  port  all  day,  discharging  and  receiving  freight. 
The  country  is  very  fertile,  handsome  to  look  at  and  exports 
much  cotton.  There  is  a  Protestant  college  at  Tarsus,  called 
St.  Paul's  Institute.  With  our  glasses  we  could  see  the  ruins 
of  the  temple  of  Soli,  not  far  away  from  Meresina.  History 
tells  us  it  was  destroyed  by  Tigranes,  King  of  Armenia. 

It  was  a  beautiful  summer  day.  The  next  morning  we 
approached  the  seaport  of  Aleppo,  an  old  city  in  the  in- 
terior. A  Turkish  officer  who  sat  at  the  dining  table  opposite 
me  each  day,  wearing  his  red  fez  at  the  table,  got  off,  with 
a  small  boat  load  of  luggage  and  attendants,  going  to  Bag- 
dad, twenty  days  journey  by  horses.  The  name  made  me 
think  of  stories  in  the  Arabian  Knights.  About  10  o'clock 
we  sailed  away  to  the  south,  over  the  usual  soft  summer  seas. 
Toward  sundown  we  reached  the  port  of  Latakia,  admiring 
the  mountains  and  valleys  of  Asia.  The  afterglow  of  sunset, 
as  it  caught  the  sea,  town,  mountain  and  valley  was  particu- 
\arly  handsome. 

Our  ship  after  leaving  this  port  sailed  almost  on  a  west- 


J 


ISLE  OF  PATMOS. 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  143 

crly  course  for  the  island  of  Cyprus.  Again.  I  walked  on 
deck  just  before  sunrise  and  saw  the  east  end  of  the  island 
just  coming  into  sight.  The  island  of  Cyprus  is  under  British 
rule.  England  pays  the  Turkish  government  92,000  pounds 
rent  each  year.  This  arrangement  commenced  22  years  ago. 
The  population  of  the  entire  island  is  about  200,000.  The  tax 
is  one-tenth  of  all  gross  income,  or  crops  raised.  There  is 
some  surplus  out  of  this  tax  after  paying  the  Turkish  gov- 
ernment, which  goes  into  improvements.  At  every  Turkish 
port  as  we  cast  anchor,  about  a  dozen  or  more  boats  would 
come  up  and  the  men  would  jump  over  each  other  up  the 
stairs,  beside  the  ship,  to  get  passengers  to  take  ashore,  hollo- 
ing at  the  top  of  their  voices.  The  noise  and  clamor  and 
their  Oriental  costumes  were  very  interesting.  Under  British 
rule  these  same  kind  of  people,  come  on  orderly  and  well- 
behaved. 

Soon  after  sunrise  we  came  to  the  port  of  Larnaka.  The 
ship  stayed  here  three  hours,  this  port  being  nearer  the  capitol 
of  the  island,  situated  in  the  interior.  Like  California,  all 
through  this  country  it  only  rains  in  the  winter  and  on  Cyprus 
it  forgot  to  rain  much  this  last  season,  the  dryest  year  since 
1879.  One  farmer  sowed  1000  kilos  of  wheat  and  harvested 
ij^  only,  sowed  1000  kilos  of  barley  and  harvested  450,  sowed 
800  kilos  of  vetches  and  harvested  none.  A  kilo  is  about 
fifty  pounds. 

For  miles  and  miles  not  a  house  to  be  seen  from  the  ship. 
The  mountains  were  not  high  and  there  are  extensive  areas 
of  fine  level  farming  land,  only  it  forgets  to  rain  sometimes 
in  the  season  for  rain.  Toward  sunset  we  arrived  at  the 
port  of  Limasol,  on  Cyprus. 

Not  far  away  an  English  ship  was  loading  with  carobs. 
They  grow  on  trees  and  are  taken  to  France  and  England 
and  fed  to  horses  and  cattle.  One  small  ship  had  already 
sailed  with  a  load  of  pomegranates  for  Egypt.  The  island 
raises  cotton  when  there  is  sufficient  rain.  In  the  evening 
our  ship  sailed  away  to  the  east.  Barnabas  was  a  native  of 
Cyprus,  and  Paul  preached  on  this  island.    In  the  morning 


144  A    CALirORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

of  October  14th,  I  arose  early.  We  were  still  sailing  east 
The  sun  rose,  throwing  brilliant  golden  light  over  ship  and 
sea,  with  not  a  cloud  to  mar  the  bluest  of  skies.  We  were 
approaching  the  main  land  of  Asia  and  soon  came  to  anchor 
off  Tripoli,  so  named  because  there  are  three  villages  at  this 
port. 

As  our  ship  sailed  away  to  the  south  toward  noon,  we  were 
approaching  the  Lebanon  mountains.  Th«re  is  not  a  more 
handsome  sight  than  we  saw  on  the  slopes  of  these  mountains, 
covered  with  mulberry  trees  and  vineyards.  These  slopes  are 
settled  with  Arabs  mostly,  and  they  raise  much  silk  for  weav- 
ing table  covers  and  other  fabrics  famous  the  world  over.  There 
are  many  third  class  passengers  on  these  steamers,  and  instead 
of  being  put  down  in  the  steerage,  they  occupy  the  lower 
deck,  and  only  pay  passage  on  the  steamer.  They  have  their 
blankets  of  bright  oriental  colors,  and  bring  on  their  bread 
and  fruit,  boarding  themselves.  They  sleep  in  rows  on  the 
deck,  in  the  open  air.  I  glanced  down  the  deck — Maronite 
priests,  Jesuits,  veiled  Turkish  women,  Greeks,  Turks,  in  all 
sorts  of  costumes;  some  of  them  sitting  down  with  their 
legs  curled  up,  eating,  smoking,  others  talking  or  walking 
around.     Truly,  a  wonderful  and  novel  sight ! 

We  came  to  anchor  in  Beirout  harbor,  a  city  scattered  over 
a  sloping  hill  projecting  into  the  sea,  of  about  125,000  popula- 
tion. As  I  sat  on  the  steamer's  deck,  I  could  count  over 
twenty  villages  up  on  the  slopes  of  the  beautiful  and  fertile 
Lebanon  mountains.  Some  of  them  were  on  the  top  of  mount- 
ains three  or  four  thousand  feet  high.  I  do  not  think  checks 
are  used  much,  as  bags  of  gold  and  silver  are  seen  often  com- 
ing on  or  going  off  the  steamer.  At  every  port  we  enter 
the  yellow  flag  of  quarantine  is  displayed  aloft,  until  the  ship's 
papers  are  examined  and  until  the  officer  of  the  port  declares 
the  ship  clear,  no  communication  is  had  with  the  land; 
then  the  flag  is  taken  aown.  We  saw  five  ships  in  the  har- 
bor, anchored,  all  flying  the  yellow  flag.  They  had  come 
from  Egypt,  where  the  cholera  is  prevalent  and  each  one  must 
go  under   a   quarantine  of   12   days.     The  passengers   must 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND   PALESTINE.  145 

either  stay  on  the  ship  or  go  into  some  barrack-looking 
buildings  on  the  shore.  All  of  the  day  succeeding  our 
arrival  the  steamer  laid  in  this  port.  We  went  ashore,  giving 
up  our  passports  to  the  Turkish  officials  at  the  custom  house, 
as  all  the  small  boats  land  and  depart  from  that  point  on  the 
shore  at  every  port.  We  walked  up  to  the  Protestant  col- 
lege under  the  management  of  President  Bliss.  The  college 
term  of  school  was  to  commence  the  next  day.  We  saw  a 
room  about  twelve  feet  square  packed  with  young  men  regis- 
tering for  the  term.  Nearly  all  wore  red  caps  and  some  had 
on  flowing  robes.  They  were  constantly  arriving  by  carriage, 
with  their  satchels  and  little  trunks,  and  by  the  flash  of  their 
eyes  and  elastic  step  they  would  compare  favorably  with 
scholars  gathering  for  an  American  college.  This  college 
is  under  the  auspices  of  the  Presbyterians.  The  location  over- 
looking the  blue  Mediterranean  is  fine,  the  buildings  are  good, 
and  the  sowing  of  Christian  ideas  and  teaching  among  these 
young  men  from  every  land  in  this  vicinity  must  bear  much 
fruit. 

We  returned  to  the  steamer,  having  the  privilege  of  paying 
one  piastre  each  to  the  official  for  safely  keeping  our  pass- 
ports, as  he  returned  them.  Just  as  the  shades  of  evening 
gathered  over  land  and  sea,  our  ship  sailed  away  to  the 
south.  At  last,  after  weeks  of  expectation,  we  were  about  to 
enter  the  "promised  land."  I  arose  very  early.  The  ship  was 
at  anchor  off  the  port  of  Haifa.  The  large,  almost  full,  moon 
was  just  setting  over  the  edge  of  Mount  Carmel.  This  port 
or  town  is  on  the  edge  of  this  noted  mountain,  and  the  harbor 
almost  takes  a  turn  to  the  south,  behind  this  mountain  coming 
boldly  into  the  sea. 

At  the  north  of  Mount  Carmel  we  could  almost  see  the 
Plain  of  Esdraelon,  as  the  sun  rose  over  the  hills  of  Galilee, 
lighting  up  the  sea,  ship  and  mount  with  tinted  colors  of 
amber  and  copper.  Away  to  the  northeast,  arising  in  a  high 
dome-shaped  peak,  we  saw  mount  Hermon,  nearly  ten  thous- 
and feet  in  altitude.  On  the  inner  circle  of  the  bay,  not  far 
to  the  north,  is  the  old  town  of  Accho,  now  called  Acre,  where 


146  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

the  new  Christ  (Abbi  EflFendi)  is  getting  many  followers,  even 
in    America.    How    beautiful    Mount    Carmel    looked,    with 
houses  dotting  its  sides  and  a  little  grotto  near  the  end  of  the 
mountain  claimed  to  mark  the  location  of  a  cave  that  Elijah 
lived  in.    The  ship  soon  sailed  away  for  Jaffa.     How  jubilant 
we  were  as  the  next  port  would  be  the  last  and  then  we  could 
enter  the  "promised  land."    As  we  rounded  a  low  cape  pro- 
jecting seaward   from  Mount   Carmel,   and  sailing  quite  far 
to  sea  on  account  of  shoal  water  then  the  ship  sailed  south. 
We  were  much  interested  in  watching  the  hills  and  mountains 
of  Samaria.     The  breeze  was  cool  and  bracing  coming  directly 
from  the  land.     I  looked  along  the  upper  deck.    Over  one- 
half  of  the  people  were  priests  dressed  in  flowing  robes,  mostly 
black,  wearing  caps  the  shape  of  a  stove  pipe  with  a  little 
crown   on  top  also  black.     Surely  it  needed  no  other  proof 
that  we  were  approaching  the  most  religious  city  in  the  world. 
The  mountains  of  Samaria  were  soon  passed  and  we  saw  the 
Jewish  colony  established  by  the  site  of  old  Caesarea.     The 
plain  of  Sharon  covering  a   wide  stretch  of  land  along  the 
coast  looked  nice  and  level,  and  over  behind  the  low  mount- 
ains  of  Samaria  to  the  northwest  we  could  catch  glimpses 
of  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon.     Soon  the  hills  of  Judea  came  in 
sight  beyond  the  Plain  of  Sharon  as  this  Plain  extends  to  the 
environs  of  Jaffa.    The  banks  of  land  next  to  the  sea  were 
only  a  few  feet  high,  yet  too  high  for  us  to  see  much  of  the 
Plain.    As  we  came  to  anchor  off  the  port  of  Jaffa  with  our 
yellow  flag  flying  as  usual,  a  boat  came  from  the  shore  also 
flying    a    yellow    flag   and    reported    much    cholera    at    Gaza 
and  two  suspected  cases  in  Jaffa  with  a  prospect  of  quarantine 
toward  Jerusalem.     After  a  very  exciting  time,  most  of  the 
passengers  got  into  boats  all  flying  the  yellow  flag,  with  boats 
watching  the  ship  that  no  one  might  come  on  board.    We 
decided  to  stay  on  board  the  ship  until  morning.    As  morn- 
ing came  the  captain  went  on  shore  and  reported  that  quaran- 
tine was  established,  surely  catching  the  passengers  landed; 
and  the  ship  unloaded  its  freight  into  boats,  with  boats  flying 
the  quarantine  flag  watching  the  ship.    Two  hundred  passen- 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  147 

gers  made  application  for  passage,  but  all  were  refused.  We 
concluded  to  turn  back  and  not  land,  and  paid  our  fare  back 
to  Haifa. 

As  we  did  so,  I  thought  of  the  giant  cholera  and  the  prob- 
able cordon  of  quarantine  stalking  as  high  and  fierce  looking 
as  any  of  the  giants  that  the  children  of  Israel  ever  saw.  We 
were  the  only  two  passengers  on  the  upper  deck  and  only  four 
more  on  the  ship.  Where  were  all  the  rest?  Gone  into  the 
promised  land.  Only  fifty-three  miles  from  Jerusalem  where 
all  our  mail  was,  not  hearing  a  word  from  home  for  weeks, 
yet  so  scared  by  the  giants  that  we  turned  away.  Alas !  How 
sorrowful  we  were,  and  had  the  same  feelings  that  some  oi 
the  children  of  Israel  must  have  had  as  they  turned  back  one 
day  from  Kadesh  Barnea.  The  rudder  rolled,  the  chains 
creaked,  the  ship  jarred,  and  over  on  one  side  the  friction 
of  chain,  rope  or  rigging  sang  a  little  rhyme  of  plaintive  song 
full  of  mourning  and  sadness. 

I  looked  around.  Elmer  sat  astride  of  the  roof  over  the 
steering  gear,  looking  at  the  port  of  Jaffa,  fast  retreating  in 
the  distance  and  beyond  into  the  mountains.  He  looked  limp, 
almost  hopeless,  courage  turned  into  weakness  and  was  hum- 
ming a  little  tune  full  of  mournful  cadence.  Just  before  sun- 
set we  sailed  into  the  harbor  of  Haifa  again.  We  would 
camp  into  Jerusalem  from  there.  The  ship  stopped  ready  to 
anchor  and  a  boat  put  off  from  shore  flying  the  quarantine 
flag.  As  soon  as  it  came  in  hailing  distance  the  officials  said 
the  ship  could  not  touch  as  the  governor  had  put  a  quarantine 
around  Haifa  ten  days.  The  captain  asked  if  we  could  land. 
"No  Senor,"  was  the  reply.  The  ship  turned  and  sailed  for 
the  north.  What  would  become  of  us?  When  would  our 
wanderings  out  of  the  "promised  land"  end?  Would  we  ever 
enter  and  where? 

The  sun  was  just  setting  over  the  top  of  Mount  Carmel. 
The  hills  of  Galilee  wore  bright  colors  and  a  long  row  of  tall 
palms,  almost  under  the  shadow  of  Mount  Carmel,  looked 
inviting.  We  had  no  alternative  but  to  pay  our  fare  to 
Beirout,  the  next  port  north.    Our  calculations  were  all  re- 


148  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

placed  by  reflections;  cast  down,  but  not  dismayed;  jubilant 
feelings  gone,  yet  full  of  hope.  We  would  go  in  via  Syria. 
During  the  night  we  came  to  anchor  off  Beirout.  Saturday 
morning  came,  and  while  I  was  pacing  the  deck  the  captain 
went  ashore.  A  boat  soon  appeared,  a  doctor  came  on 
board  and  all  the  crew  and  the  six  passengers  were  walked 
before  him.  Another  boat  and  doctor  came  and  the  decision 
was  we  must  be  quarantined  ten  days. 

They  left  a  guard  with  yellow  bands  of  cloth  tied  to  his 
arms,  and  we  were  drifted  to  a  position  among  other  ships 
that  were  in  quarantine,  all  with  the  little  yellow  flag  flying 
aloft.  Relentless  fate,  how  inexorable  thy  lines  are !  We 
were  prisoners  and  only  had  the  ship  to  walk  about  on,  and 
were  never  in  prison  before. 

Not  in  some  prison  dark  and  drear; 
Not  where  the  sun  could  not  cheer; 
Not  in  chains  or  dungeons  deep, 
Not  where  nature  could  not  speak. 
I  know  of  no  place  in  the  world  where  as  prisoners,  we  could 
see,  think  and  catch  such  grand  thoughts.    Were  not  these  the 
mountains  of  Lebanon  where  the  cedars  grew?    Did  not  Job 
speak  of  their  movement;  Solomon  sang  of  their  excellence, 
and   Daniel   said  the   righteous  "shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in 
Lebanon."     In   ist  Kings,  chapter  five,  you  will  read  of  the 
thousands  of  men  sent  into  these  mountains  after  cedar. 

We  watched  the  camels  walking  on  a  road  near  the  shore. 
We  watched  the  sunset,  lighting  up  every  nook,  hill,  knoll 
or  dale  on  the  slopes  of  Lebanon,  catching  their  mountain 
tops,  villages  and  rock  in  colors  of  brilliant  beauty.  We 
watched  the  moon  rise,  and  as  its  mystery  of  light  caught 
sea,  ship  and  city,  we  let  its  soft  mellow  rays  encircle  us 
until  we  were  wrapped  in  a  vision  of  such  ethereal  light 
that  we  lost  all  thought  of  being  in  prison,  just  dreaming 
beautiful  dreams  of  heaven  and  home.  Sunday  morning  I 
arose  early  and  sat  on  deck  wrapped  in  reverie.  The  guard 
was  still  pacing  back  and  forth.  An  autumn  day  of  just 
that   degree   of   comfortable   warmth    with   all    of   the   sun's 


lEPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND  I^ALESTINE.  149 

brightness — the  very  best  of  nature's  gifts.  About  8  o'clock 
I  saw  a  boat  coming  to  the  ship  flying  the  Turkish  flag, 
and  on  board  were  two  doctors.  They  said  a  telegram  had 
been  received  from  Constantinople  saying  we  would  be  re- 
leased from  quarantine  if  we  all  passed  inspection.  The 
crew  and  the  six  passengers  all  walked  before  the  doctors 
and  they  set  the  ship  free.  How  our  hearts  leaped  with 
joy,  and  gathering  up  our  luggage,  not  forgetting  to  tie 
our  books  under  our  arms  again,  and  went  ashore,  passed 
the  custom  house,  and  hailing  a  cab  were  soon  at  the  Vic- 
toria hotel,  made  a  bargain  for  a  room  and  then  began  to 
realize  how  magical  the  word  "freedom"  is  when  a  prisoner 
is  set  free.  What  a  wonderful  view  from  our  room,  look- 
ing into  a  large  garden.  India  rubber  trees,  orange,  fig,  lem- 
on, pomegranate,  pride  of  India  (our  Chinese  umbrella 
trees),   locust,   loquat,   apricot  trees   with   fruit  on  them. 

Hired  girls  get  50  or  60  cents  a  week  and  the  men  no 
more — about  10  cents  a  day;  yet  the  American  vice-consul 
told  me  one  American  girl  would  do  as  much  as  five  of  the 
Syrians.  The  passion  for  gambling  pervades  all  classes, 
rich  and  poor.  They  have  a  game  they  call  in  Arabic,  "Trick 
Track."  The  wealthy  send  to  Paris  for  their  dresses,  and 
French  gold  is  used  more  than  any  other  gold.  The  prin- 
cipal exports  of  Beirout  are  silk  and  wool.  Camels,  don- 
keys and  men,  called  porters,  all  compete  in  carrying  goods 
or  freight  about  the  streets.  These  porters  have  been  known 
to  carry  a  piano  alone  on  their  backs  up  two  flights  of  stairs. 
I  saw  them  so  heavily  loaded  that  they  could  only  move  a 
few  inches  at  a  time.  We  went  into  the  American  Mis- 
sion printing  works,  the  second  largest  mission  printing 
house  in  the  world.  They  print  a  good  many  Arabic  Bi- 
bles, selling  more  in  Egypt  than  in  Asia.  It  is  a  grand  in- 
stitution, under  Presbjrterian  auspices.  We  applied  through 
the  American  consul  for  tezkaras  to  travel  on.  He  procured 
them  for  us  of  the  Turkish  officials  and  we  paid,  including 
service,  ten  francs  each,  and  this  only  reached  Baalbec  and 
Damascus.     It   appears   that   there  are  two   sects   of  Greeks 


150  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

in  Asia  Minor — Greek  orthodox  and  Catholic.  The  Greek 
Catholic  bishop  died  not  long  ago  and  was  buried  sitting 
up,  and  carried  through  the  streets  to  his  grave,  held  in  a 
sitting  posture  in  the  carriage.  The  room  we  had  and  all 
the  other  rooms  in  the  hotel  were  fully  twenty  feet  high, 
and  many  rooms  in  the  private  houses  are  as  high.  We 
decided  to  go  to  Damascus  and  purchased  our  tickets  at  six- 
teen francs  and  forty-five  centimes  each.  The  morning  of 
our  departure  for  Damascus  I  was  awakened  by  a  peculiar 
chanting  song  at  a  neighboring  house  in  sight  from  one  of 
our  windows.  .  The  language  used  was  Hebrew.  It  was  a 
Jewish  family  and  it  was  getting  towards  the  close  of  their 
"Feast  of  the  Harvest,"  and  they  were  saying  their  prayers. 
I  had  noticed  a  good  many  houses  in  Beirout  that  had  on 
their  back  porches  booths  erected.  They  were  to  keep  this 
feast  of  eight  days.  Some  had  tents  in  their  yards.  This 
family  commenced  this  chanting  or  prayer  at  about  4  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  in  their  constancy  and  fervor  were  full 
of  devotion,  although  I  could  not  understand  a  word.  This 
service  continued  until  sunrise.  Hiring  a  cab,  we  drove  to 
the  railway  station,  passing  by  many  places  where  in  little 
shops  the  Syrians  were  weaving  silk  and  cotton  goods  by 
machinery,  very  crude  in  construction.  We  passed  a  foun- 
tain where  many  women  were  waiting  to  carry  water  away 
in  jars  or  jugs  on  their  heads.  As  we  arrived  at  the  station 
Elmer  took  our  tickets  to  the  office  to  have  a  "visa"  put  on 
them,  and  we  had  to  sign  them.  Our  tezkaras  were  de- 
manded and  the  porter  was  placing  our  baggage  on  the  table 
for  inspection.  I  grasped  the  situation  and  handed  a  beshi- 
lick  to  a  Turkish  official  and  then  the  porter  was  allowed  to 
carry  the  luggage  direct  to  the  train.  We  began  to  climb 
the  Lebanon  mountains  in  places  so  steep  in  grade  that 
the  rack  and  pinion  system  is  used  on  the  steepest  grades. 
Tall  date  palms,  many  groves  of  mulberry,  fig,  cactus  and 
carob  trees,  olive  orchards  and  bunches  of  grass  looking  like 
pampas  plumes  were  the  first  features  of  scenery.  At  many 
places  as  we  climbed  these  rocky  mountains  the  city  of  Bci- 


EPHesUS,   DAMASCUS  AND   PALESTINE.  151 

rout  lay  gleaming  in  the  morning  sun,  thousands  of  feet  be- 
low us  and  in  the  distance,  like  a  painting,  the  bright,  blue, 
rippling  Mediterranean  sea  stretched  away  until  sea  and 
sky  were  blended  together  in  a  haze  of  soft  autumn  colors. 
\/hole  mountain  sides  terraced  in  little  plots,  many  villages, 
nearly  all  Arab  and  noted  the  world  over  for  their  silk  fa- 
brics, women  robed  in  colors  that  are  matchless  in  design, 
yet  wholly  oriental.  We  saw  miles  of  terraced  vineyards, 
where  all  the  trunks  of  the  grapevines  are  trained  to  lie 
flat  on  the  ground,  all  pointing  one  way;  the  country  road  to 
Beirout,  full  of  asses,  camels  and  Arabs;  beautiful  wild 
flowers  peering  at  us  from  the  wayside — all  together  as  we 
climbed  over  this  great  Lebanon  range  of  mountains  this 
mild  October  day,  was  unlike  anything  yet  seen  in  our  trav- 
els, and  for  novelty,  charm  and  real  beauty  I  believe  there 
is  nothing  like  it  in  all  the  world.  Now  and  then  I  saw  a 
little  mound  of  fresh  dirt  thrown  up  by  the  roadside,  re- 
sembling the  gopher  mounds  in  California.  Lebanon  prov- 
ince is  practically  independent,  as  it  is  under  the  suzeramty 
of  the  European  powers  and  pays  no  taxes  to  Turkey,  having 
a  governor  appointed  acceptable  to  the  powers. 

As  we  passed  over  the  crest  of  the  Lebanon  range  of  moun- 
tains we  saw  the  Syrian  farmers  plowing  on  the  little  plots 
of  ground  among  the  rocks  and  on  the  mountain  tops,  with 
the  smallest  of  oxen  and  the  crudest  plows.  On  the  moun- 
tain sides  the  smallest  of  plots  were  made  by  piling  the  loose 
rocks  on  the  lower  side,  thus  forming  a  terrace  very  narrow, 
and  sometimes  only  a  few  feet  long.  Some  mountain  sides 
were  such  ridgy  ledges  of  rock  that  there  was  no  chance  to 
plow  for  grain. 

The  villages,  as  we  passed  down  the  eastern  slope,  were 
so  gray  with  age  that  they  were  the  color  of  the  rocks  about 
them.  The  roofs  of  the  houses  were  flat,  and  many  of  the 
Arabs  were  walking  on  them. 

Our  train  rolled  down  the  eastern  slope  of  these  great  Leb- 
anon mountains  into  an  upland  valley  of  about  ten  miles  in 
width  and  extending  as  far  as  we  could  see  each  way,  lying 


152  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

between  the  Lebanon  and  Anti-Lebanon  ranges.  This  valley, 
as  we  entered  it,  is  about  three  thousand  feet  above  sea  level, 
and  sloping  towards  the  north  with  a  heavy  upward  grade. 
I  was  surprised  to  see  the  grandest  mountain  of  Biblical  his- 
tory in  the  Anti-Lebanon  mountains,  some  distance  to  the 
south  of  us,  yet  the  valley  we  were  in  is  very  narrow  and 
hilly  as  it  passes  Mount  Hermon.  As  we  came  to  a  station 
called  Ryak  out  in  the  valley,  we  left  the  train,  called  for 
our  tickets,  which  our  conductor  had,  and  after  lunch  board- 
ed a  train  standing  there  for  Baalbec. 

Our  distance  to  Baalbec,  about  twenty  miles  up  this  val- 
ley, called  the  Plains  of  Beeka,  was  a  ride  where  all  about 
us,  in  association,  in  charm  of  landscape,  thought  and  his- 
tory, cannot  be  excelled  in  all  the  world.  Tradition  claims 
that  here  Noah  built  the  ark,  and  as  the  word  "gopher" 
used  in  the  Bible  is  synonymous  with  "cedar,"  the  story  is 
quite  likely  to  be  true,  for  did  not  the  cedars  grow  here  ?  And 
the  only  grove  of  them  left  is  over  in  the  Lebanon  mountains, 
about  fourteen  miles  west  of  Baalbec.  As  the  train  passed  up 
the  valley  not  far  from  the  center,  I  heard  Elmer  exclaim, 
"This  is  the  prettiest  valley  I  ever  saw !"  I  looked  around. 
The  villages  were  old  and  gray,  except  that  the  fronts  of 
most  of  their  houses  are  painted  or  whitewashed,  shaded  in- 
to a  blue,  all  in  a  cluster,  with  long  stretches  of  country  be- 
tween, except  here  and  there  were  Bedouin  Arabs,  living  in 
black  tents. 

The  shades  of  color  over  mountain,  hill  and  plain  were 
what  attracted  Elmer's  attention.  I  have  never  seen  any 
scenery  just  like  it  in  any  country.  It  is  entirely  treeless 
and  hard  to  describe.  There  were  some  small  clouds  in  the 
sky,  just  enough  to  scatter  bits  of  sunshine  and  shadow,  and 
were  an  angel  or  some  giant  sitting  on  top  of  one  of  these 
small  clouds,  having  before  him  a  reservoir  full  of  the  col- 
ors of  a  rainbow,  then  taking  a  huge  bucket  would  catch 
it  full  of  colors,  and  with  one  mighty  sweep  toss  them 
over  mountain,  hill,  nook,  dale  and  plain,  in  irregular  form, 
the  effect  would  be  something  like  what  we  saw.    There  was 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  153 

just  enough  wind  to  catch  the  white  and  purple  thistle  bloom, 
and  in  its  passage  through  the  air  we  had  to  look  sharply 
to  distinguish  between  bloom  and  butterfly. 

Caravans  of  camels  were  passing  up  and  down  the  valley 
just  the  same  as  in  Abraham's  time.  I  saw  two  irrigating 
heads  of  water  being  used  on  land  as  in  California  to  pre- 
pare it  for  plowing  and  a  crop.  Shepherds  were  caring  for 
flocks  of  flat-tailed  sheep.  Their  tails,  just  one  mass  of  fat, 
with  no  bone,  would  weigh  from  25  to  30  pounds.  At  Beirout 
and*  in  the  adjoining  villages  the  Syrians  purchase  these  sheep 
for  their  supply  of  meat,  and  fatten  them  before  killing,  and 
their  tails  get  so  large  and  heavy  that  they  fix  a  yoke  on  the 
sheep's  back  to  tie  the  tail  to  it,  otherwise  the  sheep  cannot 
walk.    All  the  sheep  we  saw  were  fat  and  flat-tailed. 

Our  train  kept  up  this  valley  all  the  time  on  a  heavy  grade, 
over  lands  as  fertile  and  handsome  as  ever  the  sun  shone 
upon.  About  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  saw  in  the  dis- 
tance, on  the  edge  of  the  plain,  over  next  to  the  Anti-Leb- 
anon range  of  mountains,  some  ruins,  very  imposing  in  ap- 
pearance, surrounded  by  green  trees  and  gardens.  The  train 
stopped  at  a  small  station.  We  alighted,  hired  a  carriage, 
and  were  soon  in  the  Palmyra  Hotel,  and  not  far  away, 
in  view  from  the  windows  of  our  room,  we  saw  some  large, 
tall  pillars  still  standing,  marking  the  place  of  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  ruins  in  the  world.  We  walked  out  through 
the  little  dirty,  crooked  streets  of  the  Arab  village,  dodging 
by  camels  and  donkeys,  and  Were  confronted  by  the  still 
standing  walls,  some  of  them  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high, 
fourteen  feet  thick,  and  with  a  circumference  of  3300  feet, 
all  looking  so  great  and  formidable  that  we  turned  back 
(concluding  to  go  early  the  next  morning)  and  walked  upon 
a  small  mountain  to  see  the  sun  set  and  take  a  look  at  our 
surroundings.  Already  a  feeling  of  amazement  was  creeping 
upon  us,  and  as  we  looked  down  upon  the  massive  walls,  and 
caught  sight  of  pillar,  column  and  cornice  still  standing — 
all  on  a  scale  of  such  magnitude  we  wondered  who 
the  men  were  to  erect  such  a  wonderful  structure.     The  sun 


154  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

set  on  the  ruins,  lighting  them  with  warm  colors,  and  the 
chill  of  night  came  on.  We  walked  back  to  our  room,  and 
just  before  retiring  looked  out.  The  ruins  were  wrapped 
in  the  mystery  of  moonlight.  The  stars  twinkled,  and  na- 
ture everywhere  was  clad  in  robes  of  sweet  repose.  The  next 
morning  with  much  expectation  we  paid  a  megida  each  (about 
85  cents)  to  the  Turkish  officials  and  entered  the  only  open- 
ing, as  these  immense  walls  have  no  doors  or  windows. 

We  walked  along  a  great  subterranean  passage,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  long,  about  twenty  feet  high,  and  the 
same  in  width,  built  of  very  large  stones,  elegantly  hewn 
and  fitted  together  without  cement.  The  passage  was  arched 
overhead.  Before  the  days  of  gunpowder  it  would  have  been 
impossible  for  an  army  to  enter  this  great  citadel.  This  im- 
mense enclosure  we  came  into  was  still  more  startling.  I 
saw  rocks  in  the  walls  over  thirty  feet  high  that  would  weigh 
seven  hundred  tons  or  more,  about  thirty-four  feet  long  and 
eight  feet  square.  I  saw  other  rocks  near  the  foundation  of 
one  of  the  great  temples  inside  that  are  still  larger  and  would 
probably  weigh  one  thousand  tons.  I  measured  some  mar- 
ble pillars,  all  one  monolith,  23  feet  long  and  three  feet  in 
diameter.  I  measured  columns  sixteen  feet  long  and  about 
seven  feet  in  diameter.  These  columns  were  put  up  one 
above  the  other,  so  nicely  squared  together  as  they  stood  per- 
pendicularly that  the  fitting  was  hardly  discernable.  Six  of 
these  great  columns  were  still  standing  in  the  Temple  of  the 
Sun,  of  the  original  forty-six  erected  in  three  sections,  and 
over  fifty  feet  high,  and  then  surmounted  by  capital  and  cor- 
nice. No  roof;  three  hundred  feet  long  and  about  half  as 
wide.  All  day  long,  when  not  cloudy,  the  sun  shone  down 
in  this  great  temple.  The  mountains  and  the  sky  were  the 
framework  between  these  immense  columns,  where  multitudes 
of  worshippers  could  burn  incense  and  worship  the  sun. 
There  was  also  the  Temple  of  Jupiter,  about  eighty  feet  long 
and  fifty  feet  wide,  with  columns  as  large  or  larger,  and 
another  temple  much  larger  than  any  other,  called  the  Pan- 


TEMPLE  OF  JUPITER 

BAALBEK, 


EPHE8US,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  155 

th€on,  where  there  was  room  and  shrines  enough  to  worship 
all  the  gods,  over  two  hundred 

There  were  many  smaller  temples.  The  marble  columns 
could  not  have  been  quarried  in  Asia,  but  must  have  come 
from  Egypt.  On  capital,  base,  portico,  or  fountain  there  were 
carved  vines,  wreaths,  cupids,  leaves  of  acanthus  and  lotus, 
and  all  the  niches  were  once  filled  with  gods  and  goddesses. 
All  the  stone  to  build  the  walls  was  quarried  about  one  mile 
away,  and  I  saw  left  in  the  quarry  one  stone  that  I  meas- 
ured, it  being  thirteen  feet  square  and  sixty-nine  feet  long, 
corresponding  to  the  three  we  saw  near  the  foundation  in 
the  walls.  Where  in  the  twilight  of  time,  and  who  were 
the  men  who  by  any  means  could  move  such  stones  and 
erect  them  with  such  precision  in  the  wall?  Did  the  immor- 
tal gods  lend  a  hand  to  conceive  and  execute  such  a  Cyclopean 
structure? 

For  several  hours  we  walked  about  in  and  among  the  won- 
derful ruins  of  these  different  Temples  at  Baalbec  Broken 
pillars,  capitals,  bases  and  huge  pieces  of  cornice  pillared  door- 
ways, broad,  beautiful  stairways,  old  pavements,  marble  foun- 
tains and  sculpture  everywhere.  How  our  emotions  were 
stirred.  No  modem  appliances  could  handle  these  vast  stones. 
The  scale  of  size  does  not  fit  into  our  age  and  times.  Marks 
of  Grecian  and  Roman  occupation  are  evident  but  far  back 
of  their  times  in  the  misty  past  these  foundations  were  laid. 
How  did  men  move  stones  weighing  over  looo  tons  and  lay 
them  in  a  wall?  How  were  such  pillars  as  seven  feet  in  di- 
ameter and  many  feet  long  elevated  sixty  feet  into  the  air  and 
placed  directly  over  another  pillar? 

We  turned  away  puzzled,  mystified,  unable  to  solve  the  rid- 
dle, dumfounded,  astonished  and  entirely  unable  to  compre- 
hend by  what  manner  of  men  or  what  means  this  construction 
occured.  We  boarded  our  train  about  noon  and  returned  to 
Ryak  where  we  alighted  and  again  took  the  train  for  Damas- 
cus (the  oldest  city  in  the  world.)  In  crossing  the  Anti  Leb- 
anon range  of  mountains,  I  saw  one  or  two  small  pieces  of  al- 
falfa and  many  silver  leaf  poplars  along  the  streams  of  water, 


156  A    CALiFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

in  the  little  valley  as  we  ascended  the  mountains.  These 
mountains  are  extremely  rocky  with  a  little  valley  of  good 
land  and  abundance  of  water  as  we  passed  over  and  down 
towards  Damascus.  Not  far  away  lay  the  ruins  of  Queen 
Zenobia's  aqueduct  of  over  two  hundred  miles  in  length  to 
carry  water  to  Palmyra,  the  Tadmar  that  Solomon  built.  As 
we  descended  the  mountains  by  the  side  of  a  racing  river,  pass- 
ing little  villages  of  Arabs  with  their  houses  of  flat  roofs  so 
close  together  that  they  walked  along  on  the  housetops  we 
saw  very  large  apricot,  fig  and  silver-leaf  poplar  trees,  and  a 
few  English  walnuts.  On  the  mountain  sides  there  were  many 
caves  in  the  rocks  with  Arabs  living  in  some  of  them.  I 
saw  a  few  apple  and  maple  trees  and  black-berry  bushes  by 
the  side  of  their  irrigating  ditches.  Flocks  of  goats  on  the 
treeless  mountains,  where  not  a  bush  or  spear  of  grass  was  to 
be  seen,  all  ridges  of  rock  lying  in  regular  rows.  Many  camels 
on  the  road  and  one  was  so  frightened  at  the  train  that  he 
threw  a  man  off  from  his  back  as  we  passed. 

Coming  out  of  the  mountains  with  gardens  and  trees  all 
about  us,  we  soon  came  to  a  station  with  many  carriages  in 
waiting  and  alighted.  We  were  in  I>amascus ;  the  meaning  of 
the  word  being  "Shem"  and  it  is  thought  Shem  the  son  of 
Noah,  founded  the  city.  The  station  and  principal  hotels  are 
outside  of  the  walled  city  and  for  five  days  we  had  a  room  in 
the  Victoria  Hotel,  where  we  could  see  the  river  Abana  as 
it  flowed  by  in  sight  of  our  window,  and  heard  the  music  of 
its  rippling  waters  whenever  we  were  awake  in  the  night  time. 
We  saw  men  wading  around  each  day,  casting  a  drag  net  (the 
same  kind  used  in  Bible  times)  and  catching  little  fish.  Large 
fish  can  be  caught  the  same  way,  only  there  is  nothing  but 
small  fish  left  to  catch  in  this  river.  There  are  lead  weights 
on  the  end  of  the  net  and  the  natives  are  very  skilful  in  folding 
them  up  in  such  a  manner  that  like  a  flash  they  hurl  them  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  then  they  draw  the  net  in,  and 
reach  their  hands  under  catching  the  fish  and  placing  them  in 
a  basket  hanging  by  their  side.     Abraham  must  have  often 


EPHESU8,   DAMASCUS  AND   PALESTINE.  157 

been  in  Damascus  as  Eleazer,  his  steward  was  a  native  of 
this  city. 

Not  far  away  we  could  see  the  mountains  of  Hauran, 
where  Job  lived  two  hundred  and  eighty  years,  a  beautiful, 
fertile  country  with  much  level  land;  the  asme  land  as  the 
"land  of  Uz"  and  noted  in  these  days  for  its  wonderful  crops 
of  wheat  and  barley.  Every  morning  we  were  awakened  early 
by  troops  of  black  donkeys,  being  driven  into  the  city  by  our 
window,  running  along  on  a  dog  trot,  each  drove  having  a  bell 
strung  on  its  leader  jingling  along.  Every  evening  not  far 
away  across  the  river  many  hundreds  of  crows  came  to  roost 
in  a  grove  of  tall  silver-leaf  poplar  trees.  What  a  cawing  and 
circling  about.  At  nearly  any  time  of  day  camels  were  pass- 
ing by  in  and  out  of  the  city.  Everywhere  passing  pictures  of 
Oriental  life,  so  wonderfully  varied,  interesting  and  pictur- 
esque. 

On  entering  the  city  (the  walled  part)  we  inquired  for 
Straight  street.  We  walked  its  entire  length  nearly  the  whole 
distance  across  the  city.  A  part  of  the  way  the  street  is 
arched  over  with  a  roof  and  the  other  part  has  small  short 
curves  in  its  course.  How  wonderfully  true  the  Bible  is  as  in 
speaking  of  this  street  it  says  "called  Straight."  We  visited 
the  house  of  Annanias  and  the  place  where  Paul  was  let 
down  over  the  wall  is  near  this  house.  The  house  of  Naaman 
the  leper  is  not  far  from  the  east  entrance  of  Straight  street 
outside  of  the  walls,  and  is  now  used  as  a  leper  hospital.  As 
far  as  drainage  and  the  sanitary  conditions  of  these  cities 
are  concerned  the  situation  is  dreadful.  Human  excrement 
is  as  common  on  the  streets  as  from  horses  in  American  cities 
and  where  there  are  no  sidewalks  and  the  streets  only  from 
six  to  ten  feet  wide,  you  can  easily  imagine  the  condition. 
Much  pearl  of  shell  work  especially  en  furniture  is  made. 
Weaving  cotton,  silk  and  wool  or  camels  hair  curtains,  and 
draperies  are  a  great  industry,  wholly  oriental  in  taste  and 
designs.  Three  of  the  richest  men  to  be  worth  30,000  00 
pounds  were  pointed  out  to  me.  All  the  stores  as  a  mark  of 
courtesy  to  their  customers  have  coflFee  served  on  trays  in 


158  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLINQ    THE    GLOBE. 

almost  the  smallest  of  cups  and  as  a  mark  of  special  favor, 
serve  violet  water  while  the  trading  is  going  on.  In  all  cities 
of  Turkish  rule  the  telephone  and  electricity  are  not  allowed, 
therefore  there  is  no  power,  and  we  saw  wood  turning  where 
the  power  is  by  hand,  also  all  the  weaving.  Workers  in  brass, 
copper  and  silver  are  very  common  as  Oriental  people  buy 
and  use  the  product  of  these  clever  artificers  of  metal,  more 
than  our  American  people.  I  fancy  they  are  working  the  same 
way  as  in  olden  times. 

On  Saturday,  the  Jews'  Sabbath  day,  I  walked  through  their 
quarters.  It  was  in  the  afternoon.  I  saw  many  of  the  ladies 
dressed  up  making  calls,  while  the  gentlemen  wear  long  coats 
looking  like  cloaks.  Many  of  them  are  very  poor.  There  are 
all  sorts  of  people  on  the  streets,  among  them  many  pilgrims 
to  Mecca  and  Circassians  from  Russia.  On  Sunday  I  went 
to  a  little  English  church.  About  fifty  English  and  Americans 
were  present  and  three  Arabs,  dressed  in  camels  hair  coats 
and  chefiieurs  wound  with  braids  of  goat  hair  about  their 
heads.  I  saw  one  of  the  Arabs  fall  asleep  during  the  preach- 
ing, yet  that  was  nothing  strange  as  I  have  seen  people  fall 
asleep  in  America  during  service.  One  feature  of  the  service 
I  do  not  recollect  of  ever  noticing  in  America  was,  they  passed 
the  collection  plate  to  the  preacher. 

There  are  forty-two  Moslem  mosques  in  Damascus.  We 
went  into  the  largest  one.  It  will  hold  several  thousand  peo- 
ple. It  is  said  there  are  ten  thousand  Persian  rugs  on  the 
floor  as  the  entire  floor  surface  is  covered  with  them.  Some 
of  them  are  very  costly  and  many  of  them  are  such  beautiful 
patterns  that  an  empress  might  covet  them.  Nobody,  not  even 
Moslems  are  allowed  to  wear  their  shoes  as  they  enter.  One 
can  either  go  barefoot,  wear  their  stockings  or  draw  on  a 
pair  of  slippers.  Many  Moslems  are  there,  either  at  prayer  or 
reading  the  Koran.  Mohammedans  pray  five  times  each  twen- 
ty-four hours,  at  sunrise,  at  noon,  between  three  and  four  in 
the  afternoon,  at  sunset,  and  at  midnight  (if  they  are  awake.) 
They  always  face  Mecca  as  they  pray,  and  bow  to  the  floor  or 
earth  wherever  they  are  several  times. 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  159 

Damascus  is  the  largest  city  in  Syria,  about  one  quarter  of 
a  million  is  its  population.  Swirls  of  dust,  dogs  in  almost 
countless  numbers,  furnishing  a  free  concert  every  night  As 
you  walk  the  narrow,  dirty  streets,  you  will  run  against  don- 
keys or  camels  at  every  turn.  I  have  seen  small  logs  about 
twenty  feet  long  on  camels  backs  and  also  wood  and  stone. 
The  bazaars  are  almost  countless  in  the  arched  streets,  and 
become  monotonous.  Venders  of  Turkish  delight  and  vari- 
ous sweets  are  all  along  the  streets.  Down  in  the  dust  on  the 
streets  with  only  a  tray  to  lay  the  bread  on  are  the  bread 
merchants  selling  bread. 

During  our  stay  of  five  days  in  Damascus  we  contracted 
with  a  dragoman  to  camp  to  Jerusalem,  a  distance  of  nearly 
two  hundred  miles,  as  we  planned  the  trip.  We  were  to  be 
furnished  with  tents,  horses,  food  and  bedding  at  fifty  francs 
a  day.  As  it  was  quite  doubtful,  on  account  of  cholera,  of 
ever  getting  to  Jerusalem  in  this  manner,  we  further  aranged 
that,  if  compelled  to  go  into  quarantine  at  any  point,  we  were 
to  pay  one-half  of  the  full  amount  (twenty-five  francs  each 
day)  and  all  the  quarantine  expenses  connected  with  the  gov- 
ernment, which  is  a  variable  and  unknown  quantity  in  this 
land  of  misrule. 

Most  of  the  time  we  were  in  Damascus  there  was  a  gray 
haze  settled  down  on  mountain,  plain  and  city.  The  day  before 
our  departure  the  haze  cleared  away.  There  is  a  tall  mountain 
near  and  overlooking  the  city  and  country  on  the  north.  The 
Mohammedans  claim  that  Mohammed  climbed  this  mountain 
and  as  he  looked  around,  said:  "This  is  the  paradise  of  the 
world."  We  climbed  the  mountain.  They  claim  that  this  was 
the  veritable  "Garden  of  Eden."  Not  wholly  improbable,  as 
for  several  miles  in  each  direction,  except  the  north,  one  vast 
park  of  gardens  where  fruit  trees  of  many  kinds  grow  wild, 
and  among  them  the  largest  apricot,  fig,  and  English  walnut 
trees  that  I  ever  saw.  In  this  afternoon's  sun  the  many  minar- 
ets of  the  mosques,  the  arched  roofs  over  the  streets  and  the 
sun's  bright  rays,  and  in  pleasing  contrast,  like  the  setting  of 


160  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

a  picture,  the  foliage  of  fruit  and  shade  tree  encircling  the  city 
looked  like  a  real  picture  of  paradise,  peace  and  plenty. 

As  far  as  our  eyes  could  reach  toward  Mecca  we  saw  a 
stretch  of  plain  and  low  mountain  ranges,  while  in  the  south- 
west was  the  "Land  of  Hauran"  and  beyond  the  "Land  of 
Moab."  Just  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  for  over  two  miles 
and  next  to  the  city  are  thousands  of  Mohammedan  graves. 
They  use  no  coffins  and  dig  the  graves  very  shallow,  and  to 
keep  the  dogs  from  digging  use  concrete  work.  I  saw  five 
men  and  four  veiled  women  all  sitting  curled  up  by  the  side 
of  a  grave  mourning,  one  of  them  singing  a  mournful  tune  and 
swaying  back  and  forth.  As  we  passed  through  this  immense 
cemetery,  the  taint  of  decaying  bodies  caused  us  to  hold  our 
breath  as  we  hurried  on.  Association  and  history  sometimes 
has  much  to  do  with  the  beauty  of  a  view;  yet,  without  these 
features,  there  is  no  finer  view  in  all  the  world  than  this  old 
city  of  Damascus,  embowered  as  it  is  by  such  extensive  gar- 
dens of  luxuriant  foliage,  fertility  and  beauty.  Josephus  tells 
us  that  Abraham  was  a  reigning  prince  at  one  time,  of  this  city. 
The  large  mosque,  iioo  feet  long  and  800  feet  wide,  with  four 
or  five  minarets,  is  the  most  conspicious  building  for  religious 
worship  in  the  world.  The  site  of  this  mosque  was  once  a  pa- 
gan temple,  then  a  Christian  house  of  worship,  and  said  to 
contain  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist  encased  in  a  basket  of 
gold,  then  for  the  last  twelve  hundred  years  this  great  mosque 
has  been  a  Mohammedan  place  of  worship.  Damascus  has 
been  called  "the  pearl  city  of  the  East,"  and  as  we  turned  away 
and  cast  a  lingering  look  from  this  projecting  spur  of  the  great 
Anti  Lebanon  mountains,  over  city  and  plain,  the  landscape 
over  all  touched  with  tints  of  amber  and  gold  from  the  rays  of 
the  setting  sun  there  came  to  me  a  consciousness  that : 

One  may  roam  in  every  clime 

And  never  find  a  pearl  so  fine : 

Of  wondrous  luster  and  matchless  hue, 

There  never  was  a  pearl  so  true. 
What  a  wealth  of  thought  the  true  traveler  can  catch  every 
day  and  in  .every  place.     The  next  morning,  October  27,  a 


CAMPING    FROM    DAMASCUS. 


EPHESUS,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  161 

bright,  cool,  clear  autumn  day,  our  cavalcade  gathered  for  a 
camping  trip  to  Jerusalem.  There  were  five  horses,  one  don- 
key, two  muleteers,  a  dragoman  and  ourselves.  Two  of  the 
horses  and  the  donkey  were  required  to  carry  the  tents,  bag- 
gage, bedding  and  food.  The  muleteers  walked.  About  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  with  our  faces  set  towards  Jerusalem, 
we  started.  How  our  emotions  were  stirred  on  account  of  the 
cholera.    Would  or  could  we  get  through? 

As  we  started  on  either  side  of  the  road  were  the  largest 
"adobe"  bricks  I  ever  saw,  laid  in  walls.  They  were  about 
thirty  by  thirty-six  inches  in  size,  and  beyond  were  gardens 
full  of  trees,  flowers  and  vegetables.  Some  of  the  gardens 
had  rope  walks  and  natives  were  weaving  rope  by  hand.  The 
fruit  trees  were  mostly  apricots,  some  pomegranate  trees.  On 
this  road,  near  Damascus,  Paul  was  converted.  No  one  knows 
just  the  place,  yet  we  traveled  over  the  same  road.  We  rode 
to  the  West  all  day,  skirting  the  Anti  Lebanon  mountains  near 
the  "Land  of  Hauran."  Most  writers  locate  the  river  Pharpar 
in  Damascus  city.  Some  call  this  river  a  tributary  of  the 
Jordan.  I  cannot  understand  how  anybody  can  make  such  a 
mistake.  It  was  nearly  night  before  we  crossed  the  river 
Pharpar,  many  miles  from  Damascus  city,  yet  in  the  same 
province  and  many  miles  from  any  of  the  sources  of  the  Jor- 
dan. As  we  rode  along  we  saw  much  of  country  life  among 
the  Arabs,  many  of  them  plowing  for  their  grain  crop.  We 
were  interested  in  watching  the  women  gather  weeds 
in  the  fields  for  fuel  and  then  carry  them  to  their  village,  on 
the  top  of  their  heads.  Some  of  them  had  donkeys  and 
would  load  them  with  such  huge  bundles  that  we  could  only 
see  the  donkey's  head  and  tail.  After  noon  our  course  over 
the  well-worn  trails  carried  us  away  from  the  plains  and 
nearer  the  mountains,  with  rocks  all  about  us  and  successive 
canyons  or  gulches,  called  in  this  country  "wadys."  We  were 
astonished  as  we  rode  along,  finding  our  Syrian  horses  so 
sure  and  nimble  footed  with  nothing  but  rocks,  and,  in 
many  places,  steep  and  slippery  ones,  to  climb  over.  We  had 
'eft  the  old  Roman  road  running  in  a  direct  course  to  Je- 


1«2  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    QLOBE. 

rusalem,  and  were  traveling  to  reach  Caesarea  Philippi  at 
one  of  the  sources  of  the  Jordan.  In  one  wady  we  saw  a 
flock  of  fine  large  partridges.  The  weather  was  cool,  clear 
and  delightful.  Not  until  nearly  sundown  did  we  reach  a 
branch  of  the  Pharpar  river,  containing  about  looo  inches  of 
water.  Here  is  quite  a  large  Arab  village  and  I  saw  on  these 
steep  slopes  about  loo  acres  of  Indian  corn  all  topped  just 
above  the  ears.  It  had  been  grown  with  irrigation.  Tired  and 
hungry,  yet  we  rode  along  to  another  village  and  camped 
there. 

In  the  waning  twilight  we  walked  through  the  village.  The 
streets  were  only  little  crooked  paths.  Donkeys,  Arabs  and 
chickens  all  seem  to  live  in  about  the  same  quarters.  We  saw 
the  women  milking  goats  on  top  of  the  houses.  Rough  stone 
walls,  roofed  ones,  with  a  rude  door  for  an  entrance,  just 
about  completes  a  description  of  each  house.  Some  of  them 
had  little  apertures  for  windows.  Arab  faces  were  peering 
at  us,  and  troops  of  dogs  were  everywhere.  We  walked  back 
to  our  camp,  which  was  only  a  short  distance,  and  just  by  the 
side  of  it  were  the  threshing  floors  where  these  villagers  had 
gathered  their  Indian  corn  and  were  threshing  it  out  with  long 
straight  clubs.  The  ears  of  corn  lay  in  oblong  heaps,  about 
three  feet  thick,  and  either  two  or  four  men  would  range 
themselves  on  each  side  and  pound  away  with  all  their  might. 
Each  blow  was  accompanied  with  a  grunt,  almost  as  loud 
as  the  sound  of  the  stroke. 

This  work  did  not  stop  until  darkness  cast  its  mantle  all 
the  landscape  o'er.  Every  village  or  tribe  has  a  sheik  which 
is  the  head  or  chief.  iHe  came  to  visit  us  and  we  hired  two 
of  his  men  at  one  franc  each  to  stand  guard  through  the  night. 
As  they  made  their  appearance,  all  wrapped  up  in  "abbas," 
their  name  for  cloaks,  and  carrying  such  old-looking  guns 
that  I  wondered  which  would  suffer  the  most  if  they  ever 
fired  them  at  a  robber,  as  the  guns  looked  as  though  they 
might  kill  both  ways.  One  is  quite  safe  in  these  villages  after 
hiring  some  of  them  as  a  guard,  and  that  is  a  cheaper  and 
better  way  than  to  take  soldiers  and  their  horses  along  as  an 


CAMPING    FROM    DAMASCUS. 


EPHESUS.   DAMASCUS  AND   PALESTINE.  161 

bright,  cool,  clear  autumn  day,  our  cavalcade  gathered  for  a 
camping  trip  to  Jerusalem.  There  were  five  horses,  one  don- 
key, two  muleteers,  a  dragoman  and  ourselves.  Two  of  the 
horses  and  the  donkey  were  required  to  carry  the  tents,  bag- 
gage, bedding  and  food.  The  muleteers  walked.  About  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  with  our  faces  set  towards  Jerusalem, 
we  started.  How  our  emotions  were  stirred  on  account  of  the 
cholera.    Would  or  could  we  get  through? 

As  we  started  on  either  side  of  the  road  were  the  largest 
"adobe"  bricks  I  ever  saw,  laid  in  walls.  They  were  about 
thirty  by  thirty-six  inches  in  size,  and  beyond  were  gardens 
full  of  trees,  flowers  and  vegetables.  Some  of  the  gardens 
had  rope  walks  and  natives  were  weaving  rope  by  hand.  The 
fruit  trees  were  mostly  apricots,  some  pomegranate  trees.  On 
this  road,  near  Damascus,  Paul  was  converted.  No  one  knows 
just  the  place,  yet  we  traveled  over  the  same  road.  We  rode 
to  the  West  all  day,  skirting  the  Anti  Lebanon  mountains  near 
the  "Land  of  Hauran."  Most  writers  locate  the  river  Pharpar 
in  Damascus  city.  Some  call  this  river  a  tributary  of  the 
Jordan.  I  cannot  understand  how  anybody  can  make  such  a 
mistake.  It  was  nearly  night  before  we  crossed  the  river 
Pharpar,  many  miles  from  Damascus  city,  yet  in  the  same 
province  and  many  miles  from  any  of  the  sources  of  the  Jor- 
dan. As  we  rode  along  we  saw  much  of  country  life  among 
the  Arabs,  many  of  them  plowing  for  their  grain  crop.  We 
were  interested  in  watching  the  women  gather  weeds 
in  the  fields  for  fuel  and  then  carry  them  to  their  village,  on 
the  top  of  their  heads.  Some  of  them  had  donkeys  and 
would  load  them  with  such  huge  bundles  that  we  could  only 
see  the  donkey's  head  and  tail.  After  noon  our  course  over 
the  well-worn  trails  carried  us  away  from  the  plains  and 
nearer  the  mountains,  with  rocks  all  about  us  and  successive 
canyons  or  gulches,  called  in  this  country  "wadys."  We  were 
astonished  as  we  rode  along,  finding  our  Syrian  horses  so 
sure  and  nimble  footed  with  nothing  but  rocks,  and,  in 
many  places,  steep  and  slippery  ones,  to  climb  over.  We  had 
"eft  the  old  Roman  road  running  in  a  direct  course  to  Je- 


162  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

rusalem,  and  were  traveling  to  reach  Caesarea  Philippi  at 
one  of  the  sources  of  the  Jordan.  In  one  wady  we  saw  a 
flock  of  fine  large  partridges.  The  weather  was  cool,  clear 
and  delightful.  Not  until  nearly  sundown  did  we  reach  a 
branch  of  the  Pharpar  river,  containing  about  looo  inches  of 
water.  Here  is  quite  a  large  Arab  village  and  I  saw  on  these 
steep  slopes  about  lOO  acres  of  Indian  corn  all  topped  just 
above  the  ears.  It  had  been  grown  with  irrigation.  Tired  and 
hungry,  yet  we  rode  along  to  another  village  and  camped 
there. 

In  the  waning  twilight  we  walked  through  the  village.  The 
streets  were  only  little  crooked  paths.  Donkeys,  Arabs  and 
chickens  all  seem  to  live  in  about  the  same  quarters.  We  saw 
the  women  milking  goats  on  top  of  the  houses.  Rough  stone 
walls,  roofed  ones,  with  a  rude  door  for  an  entrance,  just 
about  completes  a  description  of  each  house.  Some  of  them 
had  little  apertures  for  windows.  Arab  faces  were  peering 
at  us,  and  troops  of  dogs  were  everywhere.  We  walked  back 
to  our  camp,  which  was  only  a  short  distance,  and  just  by  the 
side  of  it  were  the  threshing  floors  where  these  villagers  had 
gathered  their  Indian  corn  and  were  threshing  it  out  with  long 
straight  clubs.  The  ears  of  corn  lay  in  oblong  heaps,  about 
three  feet  thick,  and  either  two  or  four  men  would  range 
themselves  on  each  side  and  pound  away  with  all  their  might. 
Each  blow  was  accompanied  with  a  grunt,  almost  as  loud 
as  the  sound  of  the  stroke. 

This  work  did  not  stop  until  darkness  cast  its  mantle  all 
the  landscape  o'er.  Every  village  or  tribe  has  a  sheik  which 
is  the  head  or  chief.  He  came  to  visit  us  and  we  hired  two 
of  his  men  at  one  franc  each  to  stand  guard  through  the  night. 
As  they  made  their  appearance,  all  wrapped  up  in  "abbas," 
their  name  for  cloaks,  and  carrying  such  old-looking  guns 
that  I  wondered  which  would  suffer  the  most  if  they  ever 
fired  them  at  a  robber,  as  the  guns  looked  as  though  they 
might  kill  both  ways.  One  is  quite  safe  in  these  villages  after 
hiring  some  of  them  as  a  guard,  and  that  is  a  cheaper  and 
better  way  than  to  take  soldiers  and  their  horses  along  as  an 


€PHB8US,   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  163 

armed  escort.    How  sweet  the  supper  tasted  after  the  drago- 
man made  some  tea  and  announced  it  was  ready. 

Camped  as  we  were  not  many  miles  away  from  the  base  of 
Mount  Hermon,  we  found  before  morning  that  it  was  quite 
difficult  to  keep  warm.  Eating  our  breakfast  before  sunrise, 
we  began  to  think  that  there  is  more  prose  than  poetry  in 
camp  life.  The  scores  of  dogs  kept  up  for  our  benefit  a  free 
concert  all  night,  which  together  with  the  cold,  had  deprived 
us  of  needed  rest  and  sleep.  The  Arabs  were  threshing  out 
their  corn,  others  husking,  and  some  went  off  with  their  small 
oxen  to  plow,  all  before  sunrise.  I  walked  down  the  slope 
and  saw  some  large  fig  and  carob  trees,  also  a  grove  of  silver 
leaf  poplars,  growing  in  a  damp  place.  I  ate  blackberries 
from   bushes   twenty   feet   high. 

Returning  to  camp  we  again  mounted  our  Syrian  steeds 
and  started  out,  still  traveling  to  the  west.  We  were  in  full 
sight  of  Mount  Hermon.  As  far  as  we  could  see,  not  a  tree 
was  in  sight  anywhere  about  the  mountain,  and  its  dome  of 
three  peaks,  although  at  a  distance  looking  like  one,  was 
tinged  with  shades  of  purple,  violet  and  gray  Some  bits  of 
good  land,  free  from  rocks,  and  many  bands  of  goats  and 
herds  of  cattle  nibbling  the  scanty  grass  and  herbage  The 
villages  are  plenty  and  most  of  them  were  Druses.  We 
crossed  another  tributary  of  the  Pharpar  river,  in  volume 
about  800  inches  of  water.  There  were  several  flocks  of 
goats  and  cattle  drinking  from  the  river,  and  women  from 
a  village  carrying  water  on  their  heads  in  large  jugs  or  water 
jars.    We  saw  a  number  of  camels  feeding  on  a  hill  side. 

We  ate  our  lunch,  just  halting  a  few  moments  on  a  high 
ridge,  where  we  obtained  our  last  view  of  Damascus  many 
miles  away.  South  of  us  were  the  blue  mountains,  not  lofty, 
marking  the  "Land  of  Hauran."  From  here  until  we  reached 
one  of  the  sources  of  the  Jordan  are  the  worst  of  rocky  trails 
found  anywhere.  My  horse  stumbled  once  and  in  places 
the  g^rade  was  so  steep  and  rocky  that  I  was  afraid  to  con- 
tinue riding  and  dismounted  and  walked.    Nobody  ever  picks 


164  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

even  a  loose  rock  out  of  the  trails,  leaving  them  where  they 
roll  in.  In  places  solid  rock  ledges  are  worn  in  tracks  and 
paths  caused  by  the  tramp  of  feet  for  centuries.  I  have  seen 
them  two  or  three  feet  deep,  and  in  soft  rock  many  feet  deep. 

Toward  evening  after  picking  our  way  over  these  rocky 
trails  we  saw  on  a  high  eminence  overlooking  Banias,  which 
is  the  present  name  for  Caesarea  Philippi,  the  ruins  of  an 
old  castle,  one  of  the  last  strongholds  of  the  Crusaders,  one 
of  the  grandest  ruins  in  Syria.  We  did  not  visit  the  ruins, 
yet  saw  them  not  over  a  mile  away,  as  our  trail  wound  its 
way  down  these  steep  cliffs.  We  were  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  old  "land  of  Bashan."  Large  gnarled  olive  trees  and 
some  oaks  still  were  standing  on  the  steep  mountain  sides. 
Toward  evening  we  came  to  Banias,  passed  through  the 
town  with  ruins  of  temple  and  palace  lying  about,  and  pitched 
our  camp  in  an  old  olive  orchard,  some  of  the  trees  being 
several  feet  in  diameter.  We  were  now  on  historic  ground, 
the  extreme  northern  part  of  Christ's  travels. 

The  Grecian  city  that  Christ  visited  called  Caesarea  Philippi 
was  built  three  years  before  Christ's  birth.  A  town  called 
Baalrad,  in  honor  of  a  Canaaniteish  god,  had  occupied  the 
place  for  ages.  From  the  ruins  we  saw  broken  columns,  old 
towers  and  portions  of  the  old  city  wall.  Everything  must 
have  been  on  a  scale  of  grandeur.  Before  supper  we  bathed 
our  hands  and  faces  in  the  limpid  waters  of  the  Jordan,  as  it 
ran  with  a  rippling  sound  down  by  our  camp.  As  we  retired 
after  supper,  the  crickets  were  singing  with  loud  voices.  All 
through  the  night,  whenever  awake,  I  still  heard  them  in 
great  numbers,  and  I  listened  to  the  musical  running  waters 
of  the  most  mysterious  river  in  the  world.  I  noticed  that  at 
day-dawn  the  crickets  all  stopped  singing  and  then  many 
birds  continued  the  song  as  nature  has  taught  them. 

In  the  morning  we  walked  up  to  the  source  of  the  river, 
not  over  three  minutes'  walk  from  our  camp.  There  is  a 
large  cave  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  now  partly  filled  up 
yet  Josephus  refers  to  it  as  full  of  water,  "  so  deep  that  it 


INTEKIOK     OF     JKWISH     HOME,    DAMASCUS 
(inner  court) 


I 


EPHESUS.   DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  165 

could  not  be  measured."  About  forty  feet  from  the  cave,  on 
almost  level  ground  among  some  rocks,  not  over  tyenty  feet 
square,  this  river  (not  a  spring)  breaks  out  and  goes  rushing 
down  the  slope  like  a  mountain  torrent  of  fully  looo  inches 
of  water,  perhaps  more.  At  the  right  of  the  cave  I  counted 
five  niches  cut  into  the  precipice  of  rock,  and  here  was  a 
temple  used  by  the  Greeks  for  the  worship  of  Pan,  as  in- 
scriptions show.  Before  this  there  was  a  temple  of  Baal. 
Herod  the  Great,  also  built  a  temple  here,  dedicating  it  to 
Augustus  Caesar,  and  after  Titus  destroyed  Jerusalem  he  was 
received  with  honors  by  Agrippa  and  they  returned  thanks 
to  their  gods  for  victory.  All  these  temples  are  gone,  yet 
this  wonderful  river  is  bursting  out  of  these  rocks  just  the 
same  as  thousands  of  years  ago.  We  drank  heartily,  as  with- 
out doubt  Christ  and  his  disciples  did  when  they  were  here. 
Eusebius,  the  historian,  visited  this  place  in  the  third  century 
and  writes  about  it  as  follows :  "At  Caesarea  Philippi,  which 
is  called  Banias  by  the  Phoenicians,  there  are  springs  shown 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  from  which  the  Jordan  rises, 
and  on  a  certain  festival  day  there  was  usually  one  person 
thrown  into  these  springs  and  the  victim,  by  the  power 
of  some  demon  in  a  wonderful  manner  entirely  disappeared." 
Now,  the  cave  and  niches  cut  in  the  rocks  are  a  sheltering 
place  for  goats  and  cattle  and  have  been  for  centuries,  by 
their  appearance. 

Fascinated  by  this  wonderful  appearance  and  source  of  the 
Jordan,  we  sat  and  gazed  with  thrilling  emotions.  It  was  in 
this  place  or  vicinity  that  Jesus  asked  his  disciples,  first,  how 
the  people  regarded  Him,  then  as  to  who  they  supposed  Him 
to  be.  This  brought  the  answer  from  Peter :  "Thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  Then,  perhaps,  while 
looking  at  these  temples  of  heathen  worship  where  these 
circular  places  we  were  looking  at  cut  into  these  great  walls 
of  rock  for  worship,  occurred  the  charge  to  Peter  and  com- 
mission, "Thou  art  Peter,"  the  word  meaning  "Petros"  (living 
rock),  so  different  to  yonder  dead  rock  where  in  every  curve 


166  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

we  saw  there  was  a  god  to  worship,  made  like  an  image,  but 
all  of  dead  stone.  For  six  days  He  taught  the  disciples  of  His 
crucifixion  and  coming  resurrection  here  in  Caesarea  Philippi. 
Then,  as  the  narrative  reads,  "Christ  taketh  Peter,  James  and 
John,  his  brother,  and  bringeth  them  up  into  an  high  mount- 
ain." This  mountain  must  have  been  Mount  Hermon.  Trav- 
elers, who  have  stood  on  the  crest  of  Mount  Hermon,  tell  us 
that  on  the  highest  of  its  three  peaks  there  are  the  ruins  of  a 
temple  erected  for  Baal  worship.  It  is  also  a  singular  fact 
that  all  the  temples  of  Baal  worship,  wherever  the  ruins  of 
them  are  now  found  all  face  Mount  Hermon.  How 
significant  that  on  the  most  symmetrical  and  conspicuous 
mountain  to  be  seen  in  all  this  land  of  promise  and  hope,  that 
the  transfiguration  took  place !  No  wonder  Peter,  in  one  of 
his  letters  to  the  church,  speaks  of  "the  holy  mount"  as  he 
refers  to  that  voice  from  heaven  that  came  from  a  bright  cloud. 
Was  it  not  the  most  natural  language  that  John  could  use  in 
Rev.  22:1,  "A  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal." 
Were  we  not  looking  at  a  river  clear  as  crystal?  Was  not  its 
source  from  Mount  Hermon?  Did  it  not  come  from  those 
great  rocks  where  for  ages  Baal,  Pan  and  heathen  gods  had 
full  sway?  To  me  it  was  very  significant  that  the  God  of  all 
creation  by  his  presence  on  the  mountain,  by  his  reference  to 
these  rocks,  and  by  his  inspiration  in  the  word  John  wrote, 
using  this  river  as  a  figure  and  as  our  eyes  looked  down  this 
rushing  river  we  saw  fruit  trees  of  various  kinds,  and  their 
leaves  "were  for  the  'health'  of  the  nations,"  not  "healing," 
as  the  Greek  word  used  is  a  noun,  not  a  participle.  The 
figure  John  uses,  Rev.  22 :2,  "the  tree  of  life,"  simply  symbol- 
izes perpetual  immortality;  and  has  not  this  stretch  of  tree 
and  verdure  by  the  side  of  this  river  as  we  saw  it,  been  a 
perpetual   one  ? 

We  returned  to  our  camp  at  Caesarea  Philippi  from  the 
source  of  the  Jordan  finding  our  horses  all  saddled  and 
mounted  again  the  third  day  of  our  camping  travels.  An  old 
cemetery  among  the  largest  and  oldest  oak  trees  I  ever  saw, 


EPHESU8,  DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  167 

first  a*ttracted  my  notice.  Then  I  saw  thirty  camels  all  lying 
down  and  a  little  farther  along  twenty-five  more,  neither 
caravan  having  broken  camp  yet.  We  looked  towards  Mount 
Hermon's  lofty  height.  We  saw  the  southwestern  slopes  of 
the  mountains  leading  up  to  Hermon  and  were  surprised  to 
see  them  covered  with  vines,  trees  and  verdure,  unlike  any 
mountains  anywhere  else  in  sight.  I  remembered  that  in  the 
third  verse  of  PsaJms,  133rd  chapter,  there  is  a  blessing  pro- 
nounced upon  Hermon,  and  I  was  only  seeing  some  of  the 
"life  for  evermore." 

I  saw  a  large  herd  of  camels  feeding  in  a  corn  field  where 
the  corn  had  just  been  gathered,  atid  instead  of  eating  the 
succulent  cornstalks,  they  were  reaching  their  long  necks  up 
into  some  trees  and  browsing  on  the  limbs.  I  have  seen 
camels  eating  dry  weeds  when  there  was  green  grass  just  by 
their  side.  There  are  men  and  women  in  the  world  craning 
their  necks  to  reach  and  eat  from  trees  whose  limbs  are  hang- 
ing full  of  theology,  creed,  liberal  views,  criticism  and  scores 
of  other  isms,  yet  there  is  plenty  of  green,  succulent  food 
within  reach — all  contained  within  the  Word  of  life.  Cae- 
sarea  Philippi  has  about  it  more  trees  than  any  place  we  have 
seen  except  Damascus.  We  passed  through  oak  and  tere- 
binth groves  looking  very  large  and  old.  We  soon  came  to 
a  place  where  on  a  hill  about  eighty-five  feet  high  the  old 
village  of  Dan  was  located,  and  out  from  under  this  hill 
there  bursts  forth  into  a  great  river  within  a  few  feet  of 
radius  the  largest  source  of  the  Jordan.  I  estimated  that 
fully  2500  inches  of  water  leaped  forth  from  under  these 
rocks,  and  with  mighty  leaps  went  bounding  down  its  rocky 
course  roaring  like  a  new-bom  cataract.  On  the  eminence  an 
Arab  village  without  paint  or  finish,  like  all  their  villages, 
gathered  into  one  compact  cluster,  lay  resting  in  peaceful 
repose.  Along  the  banks  of  this  newly  formed  giant  of  a 
river  large  herds  of  sheep  and  goats  under  the  watchful  care 
of  shepherds  were  grazing  as  in  the  "days  of  old."  As  we 
p^sed  along  to  the  west  away  from  the  village  I  saw  an  Arab 


168  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

with  a  rifle  slung  over  his  shoulder,  mounted  on  a  fine  look- 
ing horse  covered  with  rich  oriental  mountings,  riding  at 
full  gallop.  As  he  passed  us  clad  in  flowing  robes,  he  reined 
in  his  charger,  looking  toward  the  village,  and  while  standing 
in  his  stirrups  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  I  asked  our 
dragoman  what  he  said  as  his  excited  manner  indicated  some 
message.  The  dragoman  replied,  "He  is  telling  this  village 
that  two  horses  and  four  camels  were  stolen  last  night  and 
demands  that  this  village  give  them  up  or  he  and  all  his 
village  will  come  down  and  fight  them."  Not  waiting  to 
see  how  the  colloquy  ended,  yet  it  was  a  wonderful  illustra- 
tion to  us  of  oriental  life  and  ways.  We  passed  hundreds  of 
acres  of  shrubs  full  of  yellow  bloom,  a  few  with  pink  colors. 
We  came  to  another  river  called  the  River  Dan,  having  its 
source  further  north  than  any  of  the  Jordan  sources.  This 
river  flows  along  between  banks  covered  with  verdure,  olean- 
ders in  bloom  and  small  trees  looking  like  maple  in  full  leaf 
with  many  birds  singing  notes  of  gleeful  sound,  and  butter- 
flies flitting  about  on  this  cloudless  autumn  day;  then  I 
began  to  realize  that  after  many  days  of  waiting  and  watching 
we  had  really  entered  and  were  traveling  in  the  "land  of 
promise."  We  crossed  this  river  on  an  old  Roman  bridge 
with  one  span  between  the  arches  so  nearly  gone  that  only  a 
little  narrow  pathway  of  slippery  stones  are  left,  on  which  wc 
carefully  treaded  our  way  across.  This  river  had  fully  2000 
inches  of  water,  the  third  important  source  of  the  Jordan. 
The  old  village  of  Dan  is  about  five  miles  west  of  Caesarea 
Philippi,  and  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  valley  of  the  Jordan. 
This  valley,  as  we  passed  down  its  western  edge,  is  about  five 
miles  wide.  We  came  to  a  threshing  scene  where  three  oxen 
were  treading  out  maize  or  corn.  I  looked  to  see  if  they  were 
muzzled  as  I  remembered  that  in  the  Bible  it  says :  "Thou 
shalt  not  muzzle  the  mouth  of  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the 
corn."  They  had  no  muzzles  on  and  were  being  driven  round 
and  round  on  a  pile  of  ears  of  corn.  Of  course,  the  com 
of  the  Bible  is  one  of  the  small  grains  called  corn  in  Europe 


TREADING  CORN  WITH  OXEN, 

JORDAN    VALLEY,   PALESTINE. 


EPHESUS,  DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  169 

to  this  day.     On  our  right  were  high  hills  once  occupied  by 
the   tribe   of    Naphtali.     We   saw   many   threshing   floors   of 
corn,  as  by   using  the   waters  of  the  Jordan   for  irrigation, 
many  hundreds  of  acres  of  corn  were  being  harvested  and 
threshed.    We  saw  for  the  first  time  the  celebrated  bulls  of 
Bashan,  one  whole  herd  of  them  in  the  large  irrigating  ditch 
so   covered    with    water   that   only   their   heads    were   above 
water.    In  and  among  the  com  stalks  and  elsewhere  we  saw 
millions  of  crows,  and  I  presume  some  ravens  were  among 
them.    When  we  were  in  Russia  we  thought  that  country  had 
most  of  the  crows,  yet  we  found  many  all  over  Palestine. 
Mudturtles  were  plenty.    In  one  square  foot  of  water  I  saw 
ten  in  one  bunch.     Centuries  ago  B.  C.  Abraham  pursued  the 
kings  of  Mesopotamia  who  were  carrying  Lot  and  his  goods 
into  captivity.     Their  route   was  over  the  very  ground   we 
were  traveling  on,  and  Abraham  caught  them  by  the  village  of 
Dan,  rescuing  Lot  and  his  goods.    It  was  also  in  Dan  that 
Jeroboam  built  a  temple  and  in  it  set  up  a  golden  calf.    Irri- 
gation by  these  Arabs  is  carried  on  in  a  similar  manner  to 
irrigation  in  California  where  there  is  abundance  of  water  and 
no  cement  ditches.    Along  our  course  by  the  side  of  irrigating 
ditches   on   the   west   side   of  the   valley   were   hundreds   of 
Bedouin  Arab  tents,  their  entire  top  made  from  goats'  hair 
and  wool,   all   black.     I   saw   malva,   cocklebur   and  parsley 
among  the   weeds.    As   we   approached  the  waters   of  Lake 
Huleh  there  were  many  piles  of  Egyptian  corn  by  the  side  of 
the   yellow    corn.     One    man    very    unscripturally   had   three 
large   black   "bulls   of   Bashan"   treading  out  corn   and  they 
were    muzzled.    The    government    gets    one-tenth    of    every- 
thing raised  as  its  share  in  taxes,  also  an  additional  tax  is 
levied  on  the  land  and  each  fruit  tree.    While  opposite  Lake 
Huleh,  or  the  "Waters  of  Merom,"  we  crossed  another  river 
of  about  800  inches   of  water.    As  the  Lebanon   mountains 
were  not  over  five  hundred  yards  away  with  no  canyon  where 
this   river   could   come   down   from   in   sight,   we   concluded 
to  look  for  the  source.    Again  we  were  surprised  to  find  this 


170  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

source  or  tributary  of  the  Jordan  springing  out  of  the  base 
of  a  mountain;  not  a  spring,  but  a  river  out  of  the  rocks. 
We  drank  heartily  of  this  water,  having  now  seen  three  of  the 
four  sources  of  the  Jordan  and  the  two  most  important  ones. 

The  papyrus  reeds  still  grow  about  the  "Waters  of  Merom," 
— a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  gleaming  in  the  rays  of  the  sun 
as  we  passed  by  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  We 
were  now  only  about  five  or  six  feet  above  the  surface  of 
the  sea.  Just  here  Joshua  slew  Jabin,  king  of  Hazor.  Urg- 
ing our  steeds  along  we  commenced  to  climb  a  rolling  plateau 
At  our  left,  not  far  away,  was  a  Jewish  colony  called  Syn- 
delphia.  This  word  means  "meeting  of  the  brothers,"  it  being 
the  very  spot  that  Jacob  and  Esau  met.  We  hurried  along 
and  at  sundown  entered  a  street  leading  up  to  a  mountain 
side  lined  with  eucalyptus  trees,  and  over  in  the  fields  were 
vineyards,  mulberry  trees  and  peach  orchards.  On  the  side 
of  the  road  are  miamosa  hedges,  and  such  a  road  or  street, 
all  crushed  rock  without  any  dirt  mixed  in.  Up  and  up  this 
terrible  street  until  darkness  enveloped  us  in  its  draping  man- 
tle we  rode  until  a  place  called  a  hotel  was  reached  ,where  our 
aching  and  weary  limbs  found  rest  and  refreshment  while  the 
camp  equipage  was  reaching  us  and  getting  tents  in  place. 
We  were  met  with  the  information  that  cholera  was  raging 
in  Tiberius,  our  next  camping  place,  fifty-nine  deaths  occurring 
there  the  day  before.  Our  way  was  blocked.  All  sorts  of 
rumors  were  in  the  air.  We  must  try  to  reach  Jerusalem 
some  other  way.  It  was  extremely  doubtful  if  we  could  camp 
much  farther  in  any  direction  without  getting  into  quarantine 
or  being  turned  back.  We  were  in  a  Jewish  colony  called 
Jauneh. 

I  arose  early  in  the  morning.  A  few  feet  away  a  Moham- 
medan was  saying  his  prayers,  bowing  his  head  until  it 
touched  the  ground  several  times,  with  his  face  turned 
towards  Mecca.  Just  as  the  sun  rose  a  very  bright  sun-dog 
made  its  appearance  by  its  side  in  the  only  bit  of  cloud  in 
sight,  looking  like  an  omen  of  hope,  that  we  might  yet  be  able 


EPHCSUS,  DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  171 

to  dodge  the  cholera  and  reach  Jerusalem.  From  my  point 
of  view,  perched  upon  the  side  of  a  mountain,  I  could  see 
the  extreme  northern  edge  of  the  sea  of  Galilee.  We  con- 
cluded to  leave  the  tent  and  muleteers,  take  the  dragoman 
only,  and  ride  to  the  west  a  few  miles  to  the  city  of  Safed 
in  order  to  get  information  as  to  the  real  situation,  as  we 
were  in  a  land  where  in  its  entire  length  and  breadth,  not  a 
newspaper  is  published,  except  a  small  paper  printed  once  a 
week,  in  Jerusalem,  in  the  Hebrew  language.  We  could  con- 
sult the  Turkish  governor  of  Safed.  Before  leaving  this 
Jewish  colony  of  Jauneh  I  will  note  what  I  saw  and  heard.  A 
few  years  ago  the  Rothschilds  started  a  few  Jewish  colonies 
in  Palestine,  this  one  among  them.  Nice  stone  houses  were 
built,  the  land  purchased,  European  tools  and  stock  sent  out, 
and  each  member  of  a  Jewish  family,  after  all  this  start,  was 
given  a  few  francs  each  month  in  money.  The  location  of 
this  village  I  think,  was  very  injudicious.  Built  upon  a 
steep  mountain  side  where  there  is  very  little  water,  and  all 
its  good  farming  lands  below  it,  the  farther  part  of  them 
miles  away.  True  to  their  trading  and  scheming  ways,  the 
Jews  hired  Arabs  to  do  the  most  of  the  work  at  ten  or  fifteen 
cents  a  day,  and  looked  on  themselves.  I  saw  in  one  yard, 
loads  of  barbed  wire,  torn  up  after  being  used.  I  saw  some 
orange  trees  about  large  enough  to  commence  bearing,  and 
they  were  trying  to  irrigate  them  by  digging  a  little  around 
the  trunk  for  the  water,  wherein  the  sun  with  its  heat  and 
action  of  the  water  would  hurt  the  trees.  Everything  seemed 
impractical,  and  the  head  man  of  the  colony  told  me  they 
were  all  dissatisfied  and  wished  they  were  back  in  Europe. 
No  wonder,  no  market,  no  more  subsidy  in  the  way  of  a  few 
francs  each  month,  as  the  Rothschilds  had  taken  that  away. 
The  worst  road  on  earth  to  travel  over  to  get  to  their  work, 
on  the  steepest  of  slopes,  full  of  sharp  crushed  rock  the  size 
of  eggs,  each  piece  as  jagged  as  porcupine  quills.  Hundreds 
of  acres  of  nice  sloping  land  down  towards  the  Jordan  with 
nothing  at  all  growing  on  it  except  in  places  wild  carroway 


172  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

as  high  as  a  horse  stands.  Taxation  higher  with  every 
honest  effort  made  to  raise  something.  With  the  exception 
of  a  little  silk  they  were  raising  to  sell,  I  saw  nothing  else 
to  sell  except  faith  in  the  future,  and  I  do  not  believe  any 
American  would  give  them  ten  cents  on  a  dollar  on  the  whole 
investment  for  that  part  of  their  outlook.  At  Syndelphia, 
another  colony  in  sight  on  level  land,  the  finest  in  the  world, 
they  had  good  houses  fenced  in  with  door  yards  filled  with 
flowers,  finest  of  European  tools  and  stock  furnished  them 
about  six  years  ago,  and  now  I  was  told  the  fences  were 
gone.  The  tools  lay  out  in  the  weather,  the  flowers  dried  up. 
No  trees,  no  crops  worth  mentioning,  except  weeds.  I  could 
come  to  but  one  conclusion,  you  cannot  make  a  farmer  out  of 
a  Jew,  and  the  outlook  for  farming  in  Palestine  is  too  poor  for 
anybody  to  attempt  it  under  its  present  Turkish  misrule. 
This  Jauneh  colony  alone  cost,  I  think,  about  $300,000.  Leav- 
ing Jauneh  we  commenced  to  ascend  steep  rocky  grades  tow- 
ard Safed.  On  these  trails  in  Palestine  we  were  always  much 
interested  in  meeting  or  passing  the  "fellaheen,"  as  the  country 
people  are  called.  Their  variety  of  mountings,  different  cos- 
tumes, all  carrying  so  many  different  products  in  many  differ- 
ent ways,  were  ever  a  constant  panorama  before  us  of  change 
and  color.  I  saw  at  one  place  on  the  trail  one  camel,  six 
asses,  three  goats  and  six  Arabs,  four  of  them  with  rifles 
strung  over  their  backs,  walking  towards  Safed.  The  guns 
looked  a  hundred  years  old.  We  passed  many  olive  orchards 
and  in  some  of  them  the  natives  were  gathermg  the  fruit. 
They  would  climb  a  tree,  knock  them  off  with  a  pole,  and  the 
women  would  gather  them  into  baskets  from  the  ground. 
After  climbing  steep,  rocky  trails  we  came  to  Safed,  a  city 
of  25,000  people  and  not  a  wagon  in  the  city,  and  the  roads 
leading  into  the  city  from  all  sides  so  steep  and  rocky  that  one 
cannot  be  driven  to  it  or  within  miles  of  the  place.  We  drove 
to  Dr.  George  Wilson's  house,  a  Scotch  physician  resident 
there  six  years.  We  were  kindly  and  courteously  received 
and  he  left  a  room  full  of  patients  to  accompany  us  to  the 


£PH£SU6,  DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  173 

governor's  house.  Ophthalmia  is  a  very  prevalent  disease 
of  the  eyes  and  the  doctor  told  me  he  "treated  about  two 
hundred  people  each  day,  nearly  all  natives."  I  saw  a  whole 
room  full  of  them  waiting  for  him  while  an  assistant  was  ex- 
amining them.  The  doctor  accompanied  us  to  the  Turkish 
governor's  house  where  one  large  room  is  used  by  him  for 
official  business.  We  first  inquired  as  to  the  situation.  The 
governor  said,  while  sitting  cross-legged  on  a  divan  which 
entirely  surrounded  the  room,  except  the  entrance:  "Naz- 
areth has  just  been  declared  clean,  but  Hattin  and  Tiberius 
are  very  bad,  seventy  deaths  alone  in  Tiberius  yesterday." 
This  was  fully  one  per  cent  of  the  population  of  Tiberius 
The  governor  further  said:  "There  are  several  villages  be- 
tween here  and  Jerusalem  infected  with  the  cholera."  Several 
of  his  advisers  and  assistants  were  also  curled  up  cross- 
legged  on  the  cushioned  seats.  Soon  a  servant  brought  a 
tray  filled  with  small  cups  of  coffee,  which  is  always  the  cus- 
tom in  these  oriental  lands,  passing  them  about  to  everybody 
present.  While  sipping  the  coffee  Dr.  Wilson  asked  the  gov- 
ernor in  Arabic  if  we  could  go  to  the  northern  part  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.  The  answer  as  interpreted  to  us  was  a  pre- 
emptory  refusal  as  with  the  request  we  asked  also  for  per- 
mission to  return  to  Safed  as  we  knew  we  could  travel  no 
farther  toward  Jerusalem  without  a  paper  from  the  governor, 
that  we  had  been  in  no  infected  town  or  village,  thus  having 
a  clean  bill  of  health.  I  walked  over  to  the  doctor's  side  and 
told  him  that  if  necessary  he  could  arrange  to  give  the  gov- 
ernor a  Napoleon  or  two,  as  it  was  our  only  chance  of  reach- 
ing the  Sea  of  Galilee.  The  doctor  replied  to  me  in  English, 
"This  is  a  new  governor  that  is  very  wealthy  and  would  take 
no  gift  or  bribe."  Wherever  we  mentioned  this  at  other 
places  in  Palestine  our  hearers  were  almost  incredulous  as  it 
was  an  almost  unheard  of  attitude  for  any  Palestine  governor 
to  take.  The  doctor  then  again  told  him  that  we  were 
Americans  and  were  endeavoring  to  camp  through  the  country 
to  Jerusalem  and  would  be  pleased  to  reach  the  northern  end 


174  A   CALIFORNiAN    CIRCLING   TH£   GLOBE. 

of  the  sea  where  no  cholera  had  yet  appeared.  Finally,  aftcf 
nearly  an  hour  of  persuasion  and  talk,  which  is  according  to 
oriental  style,  it  was  arranged  that  the  governor  would  furn- 
ish us  a  soldier  at  sunrise  the  next  morning  to  accompany  us 
to  the  sea  and  then  would  allow  us  and  the  dragoman  to  re- 
turn into  the  city  the  next  evening.  For  several  days  the 
city  had  been  surrounded  with  an  armed  cordon  of  guards 
on  every  trail  and  stopping  everyone  coming  from  the  direc- 
tion of  infected  towns.  The  dragomen  sent  a  courier  back 
to  Jauneh  to  order  the  tents  along  and  that  afternoon,  after 
partaking  of  lunch  in  a  native  English  teacher's  home,  where 
we  were  partakers  of  Syrian  cooking,  we  rode  about  four 
miles  northwest  of  the  city  where  a  great  Jewish  pilgrimage 
takes  place  each  year,  as  many  thousands  of  Jews  from  all 
countries  in  Europe,  gather.  We  saw  there  a  schoolroom 
cut  out  in  the  rocks  where  the  Talmud  was  written  some  two 
hundred  years  before  Christ,  and  the  two  great  rabbis  who 
wrote  the  Talmud  are  buried  there.  This  is  a  holy  place  to 
the  Jews.  The  ride  up  and  over  rocky  hills  and  through  olive 
groves  was  a  delightful  one.  We  hurried  back  as  by  invi- 
tation we  dined  at  Dr.  Wilson's  that  evening  where  we  en- 
joyed the  hospitality  of  their  lovely  home.  In  the  morning, 
promptly  at  sunrise,  the  Turkish  soldier  with  his  horse  ap- 
peared and  gathering  our  fishlines  we  mounted  our  horses 
for  a  ride  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 

With  the  Turkish  soldier  in  the  lead,  his  rifle  strapped  upon 
his  back,  our  dragoman  next,  and  your  two  humble  servants 
in  the  rear,  the  cavalcade  started  at  a  little  after  sunrise.  Our 
altitude,  2917  feet  above  sea  level,  is  the  highest  point  in  the 
vicinity,  and  it  is  believed  that  Safed  was  meant  when  Jesus 
refers  to  a  "city  upon  a  bill  whose  light  cannot  be  hid."  We 
could  see  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  seemingly  not  far  away,  yet  the 
distance  is  about  eight  miles.  Our  descent  would  take  us  to 
a  point  652  feet  below  sea  level.  Down  over  the  steepest  of 
rocky  trails,  with  large  olive  trees  scattered  over  the  mountain- 
sides, our  course  led  us  the  first  mile. 


EPHESUS,  DAMASCUS  AND  PALESTINE.  ITS 

Many  women  were  carrying  water  up  into  the  city  with 
large  jugs  poised  on  their  heads.  Shepherds  were  herding 
bands  of  goats  on  the  mountainsides,  and  in  every  band  there 
were  several  sheep.  I  have  noticed  this  mixture  all  over  Pal- 
estine, so  suggestive  of  the  separation  mentioned,  "And  he 
shall  set  the  sheep  on  his  right  hand  but  the  goats  on  his  left." 
(Matt.  25:33.)  Now  and  then  we  would  come  to  little  val- 
leys, but  most  of  the  way  is  a  continual  descent.  As  we 
neared  the  lake,  for  over  a  mile  black  bugs  in  countless  num- 
bers crawled  all  over  the  surface,  several  hundred  on  each 
square  yard.  In  some  places  there  was  good  farming  land, 
the  richest  I  ever  saw,  as  black  as  coal. 

About  ten  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  lake  shore  at  the  very 
spot  where  the  three  apostles,  Peter,  Andrew  and  Philip, 
lived,  and  two  of  them  were  fishermen  when  they  heard  the 
call  and  "followed"  Jesus.  We  were  in  Bethsaida.now  called 
Tobcah.  A  German  priest  lives  there,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bremer, 
having  built  up  a  nice  place  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and, 
like  a  patriarch  of  old,  has  many  people  living  about  him, 
nearly  all  Arabs.  The  shore  slopes  beautifully  and  the  beach 
is  covered  with  pebbles,  some  large  rocks  scattered  about. 
Here  is  the  largest  spring  in  Galilee,  coming  out  of  the  ground 
a  few  hundred  feet  from  the  lake.  The  location,  a  curved 
shore  line,  forming  a  pretty  bay,  is  between  the  two  disputed 
sites  of  old  Capernaum,  Tell-Hum  and  the  Plain  of  Genne- 
sareth.  Up  on  a  sloping  hillside,  not  far  from  and  in  full 
view  of  the  lake,  is  the  place  where  the  five  thousand  people 
were  so  miraculously  fed. 

We  told  Mr.  Bremer  we  wanted  to  catch  some  fish,  having 
brought  our  lines  from  America,  and  asked  him  for  a  boat. 
He  said,  "I  have  no  boat."  We  then  asked  if  he  could  get 
one.  He  replied,  "There  is  not  a  boat  on  the  lake  outside  of 
Tiberius."  He  further  said,  "There  is  some  deep  water  over 
there,"  pointing  to  some  rocks  on  the  shore  towards  Tell 
Hum.  He  sent  one  of  his  Arab  servants  to  cut  some  cane- 
brake  poles,  gave  us  a  piece  of  beef  for  bait,  and  after  adjust- 


176  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

ing  our  lines,  we  started  off,  the  proudest  fishermen  you  ever 
saw.  We  were  going  to  fish  in  the  Sea  of  Galilee!  We  had 
talked  and  almost  dreamed  about  this  fishing  in  California, 
and  yesterday  at  Safed  Dr.  Wilson  told  us  he  had  "seen  the 
fish  so  thick  in  the  Sea  of  Galilee  as  to  lay  in  ridges  on  the 
water." 

The  day  was  warm,  and  as  I  started  off,  walking  briskly, 
with  my  coat  cast  aside,  my  step  was  as  light  and  elastic, 
my  hopes  as  buoyant  and  full  of  enthusiasm  as  any  boy  ever 
was.  With  nervous  haste  I  baited  the  hook  and  cast  the 
line. 

Like  spiders'  threads  woven  at  night, 

To  sparkle  and  gleam  in  the  morning  light, 

Were  my  expectations  of  delight, 

While  I  was  waiting  for  the  fish  to  bite. 

A  grasshopper  came  jumping  into  sight; 
I  caught  him  for  bait;  oh,  hope  so  bright! 
While  dreaming  of  the  fish  I  wished  to  take 
I  listened  to  the  waves,  as  they  did  break. 

Not  a  fish  did  I  get  after  all  my  toil, 
Not  a  fish  did  I  see,  except  minnows  so  small; 
With  sadness  and  silence  I  turned  away; 
Perhaps  you  can  catch  these  fish  some  day. 

I  sat  down,  wrapped  in  meditation,  while  Elmer,  divested 
of  his  clothes,  swam  away  from  the  three  foot  depth  of  water 
at  the  shore,  and  fished  while  swimming,  but  without  result. 
At  one  time,  many  centuries  ago,  there  were  four  thousand 
boats  on  this  lake,  now  only  a  very  few,  and  all  at  Tiberius, 
the  largest  city  in  the  world  below  sea  level,  having  about 
seven  thousand  inhabitants.  The  place  was  in  view  across 
a  portion  of  the  lake,  about  four  miles  away;  no  life  in  sight, 
no  boats  flying  about,  silent  and  motionless-looking,  almost 
like  a  charnel  house  of  the  dead,  as  an  average  of  three  per- 


PLAIN     Ol'     (JKXM    - 

SEA    OF   GALILKK. 


EPHESUS,     DAMASCUS    AND     PALESTINE.  177 

sons  each  hour  were  being  swept  away  with  the  cholera. 

Galilee,  according  to  Gibbons,  the  historian,  had  at  one 
time  214  cities  of  fifteen  thousand  population  each  and  over. 
Great  areas  of  the  richest  land  in  the  world  are  now  lying 
idle,  except  a  little  grazing  land,  used  mostly  by  the  Bedouin 
Arabs,  especially  about  this  lake.  Not  many  miles  away  are 
the  mountains  of  Gadara,  and  at  one  place  facing  the  lake 
were  all  the  conditions  necessary  to  fill  the  scriptural  descrip- 
tion of  the  hogs  running  into  the  sea  when  the  demons  took 
possession  of  them.  A  goodly  part  of  the  Lord's  ministry 
and  teaching  was  about  this  lake,  and  mostly  on  and  around 
this  northern  shore. 

We  walked  along  the  pebbly  beach,  we  bathed  in  its  limpid 
waters,  and  how  we  longed  for  some  sort  of  a  boat  to  "launch 
out  into  the  deep."  Not  one  in  sight  in  any  direction !  How 
my  emotions  were  stirred  as  I  gazed  on  the  "blue  Sea  of 
Galilee,"  to  me,  because  of  association  and  real  merit  and 
beauty,  the  gem  of  all  lakes  I  have  ever  seen,  and  it  has 
been  my  privilege  to  see  many  lakes  in  many  lands  and 
climes.  While  looking  about,  our  Turkish  soldier  came  hunt- 
ing after  us,  and  standing  on  a  rock  by  the  shore  of  the  sea, 
partially  disrobed,  performed  an  ablution,  and,  facing  Mecca, 
bowed  his  head  to  the  rock  several  times  successively,  their 
way  of  prayer.  What  an  anomalous  scene !  One  of  the  most 
certain  places  in  the  world  where  the  Savior  walked,  talked 
and  taught,  yet  another  came  to  be  an  usurper. 

To  me  this  last  one  of  October  days  was  full  of  echoes 
of  the  past,  warming  my  heart,  cheering  my  hopes  and 
strengthening  my  faith,  like  the  links  of  an  endless  revolving 
chain,  continually  bringing  cups  of  charm,  sweetness  and  love. 
Leaving  this  spot,  the  Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  so  called,  as 
there  was  another  Bethsaida  north  of  the  lake,  but  east  ot 
the  Jordan,  called  Bethsaida  Julius,  we  walked  over  a  ridge 
of  rocky  land  and  were  on  the  east  side  of  the  Plain  of 
Gennesareth.  We  walked  along  the  beautiful  seashore, 
picking  up  tricurated  fresh  water  shells  and  many  pebbles. 


178  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE  GLOB£. 

Fringeing  the  shore  are  oleander  trees  in  full  tint  of  pink 
bloom.  This  plain  is  not  large,  not  over  three  miles  long  and 
one  mile  wide,  yet  it  is  the  richest  spot  of  land  in  all  the 
world.  Josephus,  the  great  Jewish  historian,  writes  of  this 
plain  many  centuries  ago:  "Its  soil  is  so  fruitful  that  every 
sort  of  tree  can  grow  upon  it — ^the  seasons  also  seem  to  main- 
tain a  generous  rivalry,  for  the  plain  not  only  nourishes  fruits 
of  different  climes,  but  the  soil  yields  them  at  various  times 
of  the  year,  grapes  and  figs  ripen  continually  for  ten  months 
and  other  fruits  come  in  delightful  confusion  all  the  year 
round." 

The  fruit  trees  are  gone,  yet  we  came  to  a  large  patch  of 
wild  blackberries.  The  vines  were  ten  feet  high  in  places, 
regular  thickets.  I  picked  and  ate  heartily  of  them.  The  de- 
clining sun  and  the  long  road  up  these  rocky  slopes  compelled 
us  to  prepare  to  leave  the  most  interesting  part  of  our  entire 
journey.  Gladly,  if  possible,  would  we  have  lingered  long  on 
the  shores  of  this  wonderous  lake,  so  far  below  the  level  of 
the  sea.  We  will  ever  cherish  this  day  as  one  of  those  rare 
days  that  come  now  and  then  into  our  lives,  bringing  thoughts 
fringed  with  glory,  until  our  whole  inner  man  is  bathed  in  a 
halo  of  radiance  and  rest. 


VI. 

traveling  in  9alestine. 


As  rapidly  as  we  could,  yet  reluctantly,  we  rode  away  from 
the  Sea  of  Galilee  towards  Safed.  Not  far  away  to  our  right, 
about  two  miles  from  the  lake,  are  the  ruins  of  the  old  city 
of  Chorazin.  We  did  not  have  time  to  visit  them.  The  woe 
pronounced  against  this  city,  together  with  Bethsaida  and 
Caperanaum,  are  entirely  true,  as  desolation  reigns  supreme 
and  even  their  sites  are  questioned,  especially  Capernaum. 
We  heard  a  lamb  bleating  on  a  mountain  side  and  saw  the 
shepherd  searching  for  it.  There  are  no  trees  near  the  lake 
growing  wild  except  the  cydr  or  thorn  tree,  which  has  the 
worst  thorns  I  ever  saw,  a  double  one  at  every  leaf,  pointing 
two  ways.  It  is  believed  that  the  Crown  of  thorns  Jesus 
wore  came  from  this  tree.  All  over  Palestine  we  found  small 
birds  plentiful.  The  most  common  one,  gray  in  color,  is 
called  the  hoepee  and  sings  a  note  about  the  way  you  would 
pronounce  the  bird's  name.  Mr.  Bremer  sent  along  with  us 
and  the  soldier  two  Arabs  and  an  ass,  to  purchase  some  sup- 
plies at  Safed.  At  the  foot  of  the  steepest  climb  an  armed 
cordon  on  each  trail  was  stationed.  At  this  camp  we  met 
a  man  who  said,  "I  am  sent  by  the  governor  of  Safed  with  or- 
ders to  let  no  one  pass  this  cordon  except  yourselves  and 
dragoman,"  addressing  himself  to  me.  The  result  was  the  two 
Arabs  and  the  ass  were  turned  back,  not  being  allowed  to 
enter  Safed.  As  we  were  climbing  this  steep,  narrow,  slip- 
pery and  rocky  trail  I  looked  back.  The  sun  was  setting  over 
the  hills  and  mountains  of  Galilee,  lighting  up  the  lands  of 


180  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE   QLOBE. 

Hauran  and  Moab  east  of  the  Jordan  with  fires  of  amber  and 
gola,  while  the  reflex  of  the  sun's  rays  were  painting  colors 
in  pink  and  violet  over  the  blue  waters  of  the  beautiful  Sea 
of  Galilee.  I  reined  in  my  horse  and  gazed  in  mute  admira- 
tion upon  the  scene.  I  simply  am  taking  this  journey  around 
the  world  to  hunt  out,  to  catch  and  feed  upon  all  that  is 
beautiful  and  inspiring  on  land  and  sea. 

As  nature  plays  her  perfect  part, 
I  find  answering  chords  within  my  heart; 
The  charm's  complete,  the  music  is  sweet, 
As  I  catch  the  tune  when  nature  speaks. 

Up  and  through  the  funniest,  narrowest  stone-paved  streets 
you  ever  saw,  we  threaded  our  way.  Because  we  came  from 
the  direction  of  the  sea  the  people  were  alarmed,  being  afraid 
of  the  cholera.  One  young  Jewish  lady  cried  out  in  fear 
of  me,  "Are  you  from  Tiberiyeh?"  Most  of  the  population 
of  Safed  are  Jev/s ;  this,  with  Jerusalem,  Hebron  and  Tiberius, 
being  regarded  as  the  four  holy  cities  of  Palestine.  The 
Jews  have  a  tradition  that  when  the  Messiah  comes  he  will 
establish  his  throne  at  Safed. 

Within  modern  history  the  city  was  destroyed  by  an  earth- 
quake in  I7S9,  and  again  on  January  i,  1837,  over  half  of  its 
population  at  that  time  were  killed  by  an  earthquake — about 
5,000  people.  The  Jews  are  of  the  poorest  kind,  filthy,  super- 
stitious, bigoted  and  the  most  of  them  live  on  the  charity  of 
Europe.  They  clean  out  their  rooms  but  once  a  week,  just 
before  their  Sabbath,  coming  on  Saturday,  or  rather  begin- 
ning at  sunset  on  Friday.  After  our  supper,  in  company  with 
Dr.  Wilson  and  the  Syrian  English  teacher,  we  again  visited 
the  governor  in  his  home.  As  before,  coffee  was  served — a 
mark  of  oriental  hospitality.  The  governor  was  doubtful 
about  our  getting  through  to  Jerusalem;  however,  he  prom- 
ised us  a  bill  of  health,  and  after  a  long  consultation  we  de- 
cided to  try.     We  hired  a  guide  for  Nazareth  at  ten  francs 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  181 

for  the  trip,  and  arranged  to  start  early  in  the  morning.  An 
EngUsh  lady  missionary  had  just  been  quarantined  ten  days 
at  Nazareth,  arriving  at  Safed  that  evening.  Early  the  next 
morning  we  started  with  our  paper  from  the  governor.  Over 
and  around  mountains  we  plodded  our  way  as  we  must  avoid 
the  village  of  Hattin  on  the  direct  trail.  At  times  we  would 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  There  is  scarcely  a 
bush  or  shrub  near  the  larger  cities  in  Palestine,  as  every- 
thing is  taken  for  wood.  There  are  no  fruits  scarcely  except 
olives,  figs,  grapes  and  a  few  pomegranates.  Meeting  don- 
keys, camels  and  even  women  loaded  with  wood,  sometimes 
going  miles  for  it,  is  a  feature  of  the  trails  as  you  leave  a  city 
like  Safed.  The  roots  of  bushes,  weeds  and  everything  else  '« 
taken  to  burn,  until  all  about  the  cities,  except  the  few  fruit 
trees  and  the  old  olive  trees,  is  at  this  season  of  the  year  one 
entire  barren  waste. 

Another  peculiar  feature  of  plant  life  is  that  nearly  all  the 
dry  weather  weeds,"  as  we  term  them  in  California,  are  full 
of  thorns,  a  part  of  the  desolation  on  the  land.  There  are 
rocks  and  rocks,  until  you  are  surprised  when  you  find  any 
spot  clear  of  them.  I  have  seen  in  many  places  grain  being 
sown  where  the  soil  could  scarcely  be  seen,  the  loose  rocks 
were  so  thick.  Then  there  are  whole  mountain  sides  where 
great  ledges  of  rock  run  in  regular  courses  across  and  around 
the  slope.  These  courses  will  be  a  few  feet  across,  then  an- 
other one  rises  in  the  rear.  The  loose  rock  are  piled  in  the 
front  on  the  solid  ledge  and  thus  there  are  little  strips  of 
land  to  plow  all  over  the  country  among  the  hills  and  moun- 
tains. Yet  many  hills  are  too  rocky  to  get  even  these  little 
strips  of  land,  and  are  used  for  pasturage.  We  passed,  just 
after  noon,  a  village  that  had  the  cholera,  guarded  with  sol- 
diers. We  had  to  stop  and  show  our  paper  from  the  governor 
of  Safed  before  we  were  allowed  to  pass,  yet  we  were  one 
hundred  yards  away  from  the  village.  A  man  from  the  vil- 
lage came  to  communicate  with  the  guard  and  to  receive  the 


182  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

paper  with  a  written  message  on  it,  the  guard  reached  out 
his  gun  to  take  the  paper  on  the  end  of  the  barrel. 

Nobody  was  traveling  on  the  trails  after  we  passed  this 
village.  We  came  to  another,  and  with  guns  and  clubs  were 
halted;  wanting  to  turn  us  back.  We  gave  them  the  paper. 
They  could  not  read  it  and  the  only  way  we  could  get  by 
was  to  tell  them  in  Arabic  what  the  paper  was,  then  to  flour- 
ish it  in  their  faces  and  spur  our  horses  along. 

We  came  to  the  great  plain  of  El  Buttauf,  where  there  are 
several  thousand  acres  of  rich,  level  land,  most  of  it  clear  of 
stone.  We  crossed  this  plain  and  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  came  to  a  village.  I  was  in  the  lead  and  at  that 
time  I  saw  many  men  and  boys  in  the  trail  ahead.  As  I  came 
up  to  them  many  had  rocks  in  their  hands,  and  by  the  great 
uproar  I  understood  I  was  ordered  to  stop.  Had  I  taken 
another  step  I  would  have  been  knocked  from  the  horse  with 
rocks.  I  never  before  saw  such  savage  fury.  Even  children 
were  standing  there  ready  to  hurl  roeks.  The  dragoman  and 
guide  came  up.  A  group  of  men  a  little  farther  along  had 
rifles.  The  paper  was  handed  to  them,  yet  it  was  only  after 
a  long  and  angry  altercation  that  we  were  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed. As  we  did  pass  on  several  rocks  were  hurled  after  us 
and  many  imprecations.  We  avoided  other  villages,  making 
detours  around  them.  Everywhere,  when  halted,  we  had 
to  produce  our  tezkerahs  and  the  paper  from  the  governor, 
accounted  our  animals  and  enumerated  each  of  us. 

Not  many  miles  west,  as  we  looked  over  this  beautiful  plain 
of  El  Buttauf,  is  the  port  of  Haiffa  lying  under  the  shadow 
of  Mount  Carmel.  As  the  sun  set  in  the  west  we  saw  not  far 
to  the  left  the  village  of  Cana,  where  Jesus  turned  water  into 
wine. — His  first  miracle.  What  a  picture  of  rest  and  repose 
as  we  saw  the  shepherds  taking  home  their  flocks  about  this 
village,  just  as  in  the  days  of  old.  As  the  darkness  gathered 
and  the  stars  shone  forth,  the  same  ones  you  see  twinkling  in 
America,  we  came  to  a  long  avenue  or  trail  bordered  with 
large  cactus,  called  "prickly  pear"  in  Palestine.     On  and  on 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  183 

we  spurred  our  weary  horses,  climbing  up  a  mountain  side 
over  a  rocky  trail  until  just  before  we  reached  the  mountain's 
crest  we  were  stopped  by  an  armed  cordon.  We  were  ordered 
into  quarantine  as  on  the  other  side  of  this  mountain  is  the 
village  of  Nazareth.  We  were  tired,  weary  and  worn  after 
twelve  hours  of  continuous  riding. 

As  the  tents  and  baggage  reached  us  where  we  were  ordered 
into  quarantine,  we  had  a  little  tea  and  some  Arab  bread.  1 
was  completely  tired  out  as  I  crawled  into  our  tent  to  sleep, 
with  only  a  rug  thrown  on  the  rocky  ground  for  a  bed.  I 
felt  like  a  king,  as  weariness  always  invites  restful  sleep. 
The  soldiers  guarding  us  would  not  let  out  dragoman  get 
any  supplies  that  evening,  therefore  we  had  to  go  to  bed  almost 
supperless.  As  a  cool  breeze  sprang  up,  beating  a  tattoo  on 
the  canvas  of  the  tent,  the  associations  clustering  around 
Nazareth  caught  my  mind  and  thought,  all  weariness  stepped 
aside  and  I  had  an  audience  with  the  Creator  of  all  things.  One 
who  dwelt  so  long,  in  human  form,  at  Nazareth. 

Sunday  morning  came.  I  sent  a  little  note  by  a  messenger 
to  Dr.  Vartan,  who  has  resided  in  Nazareth  forty  years,  re- 
questing him  to  see  the  governor  and  ascertain  why  we  were 
detained  in  quarantine.  How  uncongenial  our  surroundings 
were.  Just  a  few  feet  away  were  the  squad  of  soldiers 
guarding  us  and  the  trail.  On  the  other  side  within  a  few 
feet  was  a  tent  filled  with  Arabs  and  their  belongings,  hav- 
ing been  in  quarantine  several  days.  Every  person  coming 
along  the  trail  was  challenged,  and  as  these  oriental  people 
talk  very  loud,  there  was  a  continuous  babel  of  voices  from 
some  direction  all  the  time.  Dr.  Vartan  came  to  see  us,  riding 
on  a  horse.  He  had  seen  the  governor  and  our  quarantine 
would  end  at  sunset,  in  the  afternoon  we  would  be  fumi- 
gated and  then  set  free.  He  gave  us  some  good  advice,  say- 
ing: "These  officials  are  very  hungry  and  if  you  find  it 
necessary  to  pay  them  something,  begin  very  small  as  they 
will  always  want  a  good  deal  more  than  you  oflFer."  In  the 
afternoon  a  fumigating  machine  arrived  and  it  was  turned 


184  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

loose  on  the  Arabs  and  their  luggage.     We  came  to  a  con- 
clusion   that    the    whole    arrangement    did    not    have   power 
enough  to  kill  a  single  scale  if  turned  on  a  California  orange 
tree.     We  simply  laughed  at  the  whole  proceeding — a  farce 
of    the    first    degree.      After  the  Arab  camp  was  fumigated 
Arabic  doctor  who  superintended  the  arrangement,  came  to 
our  tent,  looked  in,  stood  silently  eyeing  us  a  few  moments, 
then  said  in  English.     "You  are  free  and  may  go."    Thank- 
ing him,  we  gave  orders  to  our  dragoman  to  remove  the  tent 
into  Nazareth,  as  we  wanted  to  camp  near  the  fountain  the 
ensuing  night.     Giving  a  beshelick  to  the  nearest  soldier,  we 
hastily  departed  as  we  heard  them  crying  out  for  more  money, 
knowing  that  we  still  had  the  officials  to  satisfy.     Never  did 
two  mortals  walk  any  prouder,  because  of  freedom,  than  we 
did  as  we  walked  rapidly  over  the  mountain's  crest  and  down 
into  the  village  of  Nazareth.    The  afternoon's  sun  was  warm, 
the  air  stifling,  yet  surrounded  with  sultry  heat,  our  hearts  and 
feeling  were  as  elastic  as  lambs  in  the  spring  time.    We  had 
not  walked  far  before  we  met  the  Arabic  doctor.    Addressing 
himself  to  me  he  said,  "There  is  a  charge  of  ten  francs  for 
inspection  and  discharge   from  quarantine."     I  thanked  him 
very  courteously  and  gave  him  the  one-half  of  a  Napoleon 
that  he  demanded,  remarking,  "We  will  want  a  bill  of  health." 
He  said,"  We  will  give  you  one  in  the  morning."    We  passed 
a  delightful  evening  at  Dr.  Vartan's  home  by  invitation.     He 
told  us  when  he  came  to  Nazareth  forty  years  ago  there  was 
only  one  old  building,  which  he  believed  to  be  about  where 
the  site  of  the  synagogue  was.    We  saw  the  place,  and  there 
is  a  steep  rise  back  of  it  which  is  more  than  likely  the  place 
the  enraged  people  sought  to  throw  Jesus  down,  "headlong," 
but  "passing  through  the  midst  of  them  he  went  his  way." 
The  site  of  the  carpenter's  shop,  the  great  flat  rock  shown 
where  it  is  claimed  he  and  the  apostles  ate  from,  and  the 
kitchen  of  the  virgin  did  not  interest  us  as  we  well  know 
these  so-called  places  possess  no  significance.     The  fountain 
where  the  only  spring  flows,  and  not  over  fifty  yards  from 


FOUNTAIN    OF    THE    VIRGIN 

IX      NAZARETH 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  185 

our  camp,  must  have  been  about  the  same.  I  will  never  for- 
get the  sights  and  scenes  I  saw  at  this  fountain.  Before  sun- 
down I  saw  many  women  waiting  to  fill  their  jugs  with 
water  at  the  two  places  in  a  wall  arched  over  where  about  a 
dozen  women  could  stand  at  one  time  yet  only  two  jugs  at 
once  could  be  filled  from  the  small  running  streams,  a  few 
feet  apart.  Two  men  were  there  to  keep  these  women  from 
quarrelling  about  their  turns  to  catch  the  water.  The  women 
fought,  pulled  hair  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  their  voices 
most  of  the  time  as  they  crowded  around  these  two  streams 
of  water.  I  thought  as  I  retired  in  the  evening  that  soon  the 
uproar  would  cease,  but  it  continued  all  night  without  inter- 
ruption. The  want  of  water  was  gfreater  than  the  supply 
while  the  spring  was  at  its  lowest  ebb  just  before  the  winter 
rains.  I  still  hear  the  echo  of  those  women's  voices  wrangling 
and  quarreling  over  this  water.  After  a  sleepless  night  we 
arose  just  as  the  morning  was  breaking,  having  hired  a  little 
Greek  boy  for  a  guide,  we  climbed  to  the  highest  point  of 
the  mountain  back  of  Nazareth.  We  arrived  there  before 
sunrise.  There  is  no  finer  view  in  Palestine.  Without  doubt 
the  "Prince  of  Peace"  walked  and  played  on  the  spot  we  were 
standing  many  times.  While  the  little  village  of  Nazareth 
was  despised,  hidden  away  in  a  little  amphitheater  among 
hills  and  clustered  about  this  fountain  behind  a  mountain's 
ridge  on  top,  do  you  think  that  the  youthful  days  or  years 
of  Christ's  life  were  passed  in  some  obscure  comer  of  the 
world.  We  saw  the  sun  rise  directly  over  Mount  Tabor,  the 
only  mountain  in  all  Palestine,  having  a  large  rounded  top  like 
a  dome.  At  the  northwest  beyond  a  continual  rise  in  the 
mountains  is  Safed,  and  in  the  distance  in  the  great  Anti- 
Lebanon  mountains  grand  old  majestic  dome-shaped  Mount 
Hermon  lifts  up  its  lofty  head.  At  our  feet  in  the  north  is 
the  beautiful  plain  of  El  Buttauf.  On  the  west  ,north  and 
south  of  Mount  Carmel,  glistening  in  the  morning  sun,  are 
the  rolling  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  where  in  some  mys- 
terious manner  most  of  the  greatest  events  in  the  world's  his- 


1M  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

tory  have  occurred  on  and  about  the  shores  of  this  wonderful 
sea.  On  the  south,  not  far  away,  flanked  in  the  distance  by 
the  mountains  of  Samaria,  lies  the  greatest  battlefield  in  the 
world,  where  the  shock  of  contending  armies  have  met  with 
mighty  force,  strewing  the  great  Plain  of  Esdraelon  with  its 
almost  countless  thousands  of  the  dead.  Out  of  this  plain 
on  the  east  are  the  peaks  of  Little  Hermon  and  Mount  Gilboa. 
At  every  point  of  the  compass  is  either  village,  sea,  mountain 
or  plain,  full  of  history,  all  of  it  connected  with  mighty  events, 
most  of  them  the  greatest  in  the  world. 

Each  moment  was  full  of  precious  thought 
As  I  lingered  on  this  mountain  top. 
An  angel  carried  my  message  of  love 
As  I  turned  away,  to  the  Savior  above. 

There  are  times  and  places  when  no  mind  can  grasp  all  of 
its  surroundings.  On  this  mountain  top  I  found  such  a  place, 
yet  impulse  and  emotion  lent  their  aid,  and  with  one  mighty 
effort  every  force  within  me  threw  this  morning's  picture  on 
the  fairest  page  of  my  memory.  I  have  the  picture  yet,  so  fair 
and  bright  that  I  often  draw  it  into  the  light.  On  our  return 
from  the  mountain  to  Nazareth  we  were  again  ready  to  camp 
towards  Jerusalem. 

We  were,  however,  kept  waiting  in  Nazareth  until  after 
8 :30  a.  m.  before  our  bill  of  health  was  sent  us  from  the  gov- 
ernor's office.  I  gave  the  attendant  who  brought  the  paper 
two  beshelicks  for  his  fee.  An  English  clergjonan  and  two 
ladies  had  just  passed  through  quarantine  in  Nazareth  and  it 
cost  them  twenty-six  and  one-half  Napoleons  ($io6.)  We 
think  the  English  people's  style  and  appearance  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  extra  cost,  besides  we  were  learning  ori- 
ental ways  and  the  art  of  matching  these  officials  with  diplo- 
macy of  their  own  sort.  They  were  kept  ten  days.  Our  one 
day  costing  a  little  less  than  three  dollars.  Again  we  started 
from  our  camp  at  the  fountain  with  our  faces  towards  Je- 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  187 

rusalem.  A  warm,  sultry  morning  with  just  a  little  wind 
blowing  from  the  East  After  about  two  miles  on  a  descend- 
ing, rocky  trail  we  came  to  the  famous  Plain  of  Esdraelon, 
most  of  it  entirely  free  from  rock  or  stone.  Not  a  tree  in 
sight  except  one  or  two  on  the  northern  edge.  No  fruit 
trees  or  crops  of  any  kind  as  this  particular  time  of  the  year 
is  at  the  close  of  the  dry  season,  as  in  California.  The  soil 
is  heavy  and  in  many  places  there  were  large  fissures  or  cracks 
in  the  ground,  caused  by  dry  weather.  While  riding  ahead  of 
our  party  I  was  much  startled  as  I  saw  a  serpent  about  four 
feet  long,  as  black  as  ebony,  a  few  yards  away,  coming  to- 
wards me  at  a  terrific  pace,  gliding  along  with  a  convolvular 
motion.  As  I  was  turning  my  horse  to  gallop  away  the  ser- 
pent ran  into  a  fissure  of  the  earth.  We  came  to  a  field 
where  the  wild  gourd  vines,  similar  in  leaf  to  watermelons, 
occupied  the  ground,  having  fruit  on  entirely  unlike  the  Cali- 
fornia kind,  about  the  size  of  plums.  In  different  directions 
were  trains  of  camels  plodding  along,  just  the  same  as  in  the 
days  of  the  patriarchs.  On  the  edge  of  one  village  we  passed 
there  was  a  decided  modern  innovation,  a  pumping  plant  to 
obtain  water  for  herds  of  stock.  We  came  to  another  village; 
cholera,  like  a  grim  specter,  was  stalking  about — no  activity, 
no  children  playing  around,  houses  looking  vacant,  almost 
lifeless,  yet  the  people  were  there,  simply  waiting  with  oriental 
stoicism  to  see  if  "it  was  written."  Just  by  the  trail  a  woman 
was  drawing  water  from  a  well,  another  woman  was  taking 
the  water  to  this  village  in  a  goat  skin  lying  on  a  donkey's 
back,  driving  the  donkey  and  carrying  a  jug  full  on  her  head. 
Another  woman  was  coming  from  toward  the  mountains  of 
Samaria,  about  four  miles  away,  with  a  load  of  wood  on  her 
head  for  fuel.  A  strange  people  and  a  strange  life.  There 
was  nothing  unusual  about  the  day,  only  commonplace,  yet 
the  birds  were  flitting  about  and  warbling  bits  of  song,  little 
whirlwinds  of  dust  were  floating  lazily  by  and  out  by  the 
wayside  .hidden  away  somewhere,  the  song  of  the  locust  was 
"heard  in  the  land,"  usually  present  in  a  time  of  sultry  sum- 


188  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

mer  heat.  Little  flecks  of  fleecy  clouds  were  poised  in  the  air, 
not  knowing  which  way  to  go  in  this  soft  summer  breeze 
while  up  and  down  the  landscape  the  heated  air  gathered  itself 
into  undulating  and  tremulous  lines,  finer  than  threads  of 
gossamer,  encompassing  hill,  mountain  and  plain  with  charm, 
warmth  and  color.  I  have  purposely  refrained  from  weaving 
into  this  bit  of  an  every-day  picture  anything  of  its  wonderful 
surroundings,  history  or  association  for  the  purpose  of  an- 
alogy. I  doubt  if  these  cholera-stricken  Arab  people  ever 
caught  much  of  these  pictures  about  them,  only  commonplace, 
yet  what  lifting  power  when  applied  to  any  person's  life. 
Aside  from  spiritual  teaching  the  charm  of  Bible  history  is  its 
contact  with  and  intimate  knowledge  of  nature.  Would  you 
climb,  then  weave  out  of  the  web  of  nature  all  about  you  a 
chain  of  love  long  enough  to  reach  the  farthest  star,  throw 
it  over,  catch  the  ends  and  swing  out  into  space.  With  Mount 
Tabor  not  far  away  as  we  rode  over  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon, 
rising  as  it  does  right  out  of  an  edge  of  the  plain,  and  Little 
Hermon's  range  out  of  the  center  and  Mount  Gilboa  on  the 
south  edge  all  near  together  making  an  impressive  view.  On 
the  north  side  of  Little  Hermon,  facing  Mount  Tabor,  is  the 
village  of  Endor,  where  Saul  went  over  one  night,  eight  miles 
away  from  Mount  Bilboa,  to  consul*  a  witch  the  last  night 
of  his  life  on  earth.  The  village  of  Shunem  was  not  far 
away  where  the  army  moving  against  Saul  was  stationed.  Not 
far  from  this  village  of  Endor  is  the  village  of  Nain  where 
Jesus  first  proved  that  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life" 
by  raising  a  young  man  from  the  dead. 

Between  Mount  Gilboa  and  Little  Hermon  is  the  most  fa- 
mous village  of  them  all  and  situated  on  a  srnall  rounded  hill 
springing  up  from  the  plain — the  village  of  Jezreel.  In  the 
time  of  Ahab  it  had  a  "palace  of  ivory"  and  mansions  so 
fine  as  to  be  called  "houses  of  ivory."  Here  was  Naboth's  vine- 
yard and  not  far  away  the  spring  that  Gideon's  soldiers  drank 
from  by  taking  the  water  up  in  the  palm  of  their  hands.  When 
we  read  of  chariots  being  used  in  battle  in  the  Bible  then  they 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  189 

are  connected  with  some  great  plain,  as  in  most  of  the  country, 
chariots  could  not  have  been  used.  There  is  no  other  valley 
in  Palestine  where  so  many  great  events  in  Bible  history  have 
occurred  as  on  this  great  Plain  of  Esdraelon. 

All  day  we  were  in  sight  of  Mount  Carmel,  which  is  a 
ridge  about  fifteen  miles  long  on  top,  not  a  peaked  mountain 
as  its  name  would  imply.  When  heavy  rains  occur  the  drain- 
age of  this  valley  is  considerable,  forming  the  river  Kishon. 
Not  far  from  Mount  Carmel  are  two  mountain  peaks  close  to- 
gether which  are  famous  as  the  place  where  the  contest  be- 
tween the  priests  of  Baal  and  Elijah  took  place.  Then  after- 
ward all  these  false  priests  and  prophets  were  taken  down 
where  the  torrent  of  Kishon  runs  and  they  were  slain.  Over 
this  very  plain  and  crossing  our  trail  somewhere,  Elijah  ran 
before  the  king's  chariot  to  Jezreel  the  night  his  servant  saw 
the  clouds  gathering,  for  a  great  storm  arose  in  answer  to 
prayer.  Elisha  one  time,  in  company  with  the  Shuna- 
mite  woman,  passed  over  this  trail  and  in  answer  to  faith 
her  dead  son  was  restored  to  life.  We  were  wonderfully  in- 
terested in  all  these  places.  As  I  looked  out  towards  the 
mouth  of  this  annual  river  Kishon,  I  remembered  the  words 
of  prophecy  that  Christ  uttered,  "There  shall  be  false  Christs." 
After  sailing  from  Brindisi  in  Italy  we  found  on  every 
steamer  people  who  admitted  they  were  interested  in  the 
claims  of  Abbi  EfFendi  at  Acre,  near  the  mouth  of  this  river 
of  Kishon.  This  so-called  Christ  has  many  followers  about 
Washington  and  Baltimore  in  America,  as  well  as  elsewhere. 
The  word  "EflFendi"  in  this  country  is  simply  a  title  applied 
and  used  by  educated  gentlemen.  This  man's  father  claimed 
to  be  Christ  and  many  people  believed  him.  He  received  much 
money,  large  sums  coming  from  Persia,  and  was  not  seen 
much  except  at  times  the  poorest  of  the  people  got  a  glimpse 
of  his  back.  He  died,  leaving  three  sons.  The  present  "Ef- 
fendi"  got  the  money,  "bagged  the  divinity,"  and  not  long  ago 
was  summoned  in  court  as  a  witness  in  a  case  of  robbery  in 
his  own  house.  He  was  asked  who  he  was.  The  answer 
came,  "I  am  neither  a  carpenter  nor  a  camel  driver,  I  will 


4M  A  GALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

answer  tomorrow."  Tomorrow  never  came.  He  used  money 
to  keep  out  of  court.  Just  before  sundown  we  reached  our 
camping  place  on  the  edge  of  this  plain,  the  old  place  of  En- 
Gannim,  now  called  Jenin. 

As  we  camped  at  Jenin  in  the  evening  the  officials  came  and 
examined  our  papers,  and  to  encourage  good  feeling  we  en- 
gaged two  soldiers  to  stand  guard  over  the  camp  during  the 
night  They  have  some  water  for  irrigation,  and  in  the  village 
are  some  fine  gardens  with  large  date  palms  scattered  through 
them,  also  some  very  large  fig  trees.  At  or  near  this  place,  as 
it  is  on  the  direct  road  to  Samaria,  is  where  Jesus  healed 
the  ten  lepers  and  only  one  came  back.  This  village,  the  old 
En-Gannim,  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Issachar.  Beautiful  for 
location,  and  where  the  water  ran  the  soil  was  burdened  with 
its  wonderful  growth  of  fruit  trees  and  gardens.  We  heard 
the  cry  of  jackals  all  about  our  camp  during  the  night.  We 
paid  the  soldiers  one  franc  each  this  morning;  they,  as  usual, 
wanted  additional  pay.  Their  ways  do  not  surprise  us  any 
more.  Again  taking  to  the  saddle,  we  soon  saw  at  the  right 
the  Plain  of  Dothan,  the  prettiest  small  valley  yet  seen  in 
Palestine.  Many  handsome  song-birds  were  flying  about,  and 
on  the  borders  of  this  valley  were  some  handsome  olive  or- 
chards. It  is  believed  Joseph  was  sold  by  his  brethren  on 
this  Plain  of  Dothan.  As  we  entered  Samaria  I  noticed  the 
dew  or  water  still  clinging  to  some  of  the  rocks.  I  do  not 
know  the  reason.  Only  one  kind,  a  gray  looking  rock,  pre- 
sented this  peculiar  feature  so  late  in  the  morning.  As  we 
passed  a  high  ridge  we  again  saw  Mount  Carmel  and  Naza- 
reth in  the  distance,  our  last  view  of  these  wonderful  places. 
In  the  villages  we  were  passing  the  people  keep  their  supply 
of  fuel,  either  wood,  brush  or  weeds,  on  the  top  of  their 
houses.  Samaria  is  a  handsome  country,  beautifully  rounded 
hills  and  nooks  of  valleys  as  pretty  as  the  sun  ever  shone 
upon. 

We  did  not  go  around  by  the  site  of  its  old  and  famous 
capital,  taking  the  direct  route  to  the  old  city  of  Shechem. 
These  were  wonderful  days  to  me.     My  only  regret  being 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  1M 

that  the  time  was  too  short  I  was  so  absorbed  in  thought, 
history  and  association  that  I  ate  but  Uttle.  Each  day  was 
crowned  with  a  necklace  of  jewels  more  lustrous  than  the 
one  preceding  it.    A  tiara  brighter  than  any  king  ever  wore. 

As  we  climbed  intervening  ridges  the  dome-shaped  top  of 
Mount  Tabor  was  still  in  view,  as  beautiful  in  shape  and  as 
impressive  in  situation  and  looks  as  it  ever  was  in  the  "olden 
days."  About  noon  clouds  and  rifts  of  sunshine  kept  alter- 
nating each  other,  lending  additional  lustre  and  charm  to  a 
pleasing  landscape. 

The  village  people  were  gathering  olives,  a  much  better 
crop  on  an  average  than  in  Italy.  Most  of  them  had  no  lad- 
ders ;  knocking  them  off  with  poles.  Little  bits  of  ground  was 
being  plowed  between  the  rocks  on  the  hillsides,  with  the 
smallest  of  oxen.  By  the  side  of  each  village  are  their  thresh- 
ing floors,  and  quite  often  you  meet  or  pass  cai;avans  of  camels 
moving  in  rigid  lines,  as  camels  seem  to  get  their  eyes  fixed 
on  some  distant  object  and  never  deviate  from  their  course. 
Towards  evening  we  entered  a  road  fitted  up  for  carriages 
coming  from  Haiffa.  Entering  this  road,  bordered  with  gar- 
dens and  fruit  trees,  we  soon  came  to  Shechem,  the  place 
where  Abraham  built  an  altar,  the  first  one  in  the  Promised 
land,  as  related  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Genesis. 

Jacob  bought  a  "parcel  of  a  field,"  dug  a  well  on  the  land, 
reared  an  altar,  living  here  many  years.  He  gave  this  land 
to  Joseph  and  years  afterwards,  the  Israelites  buried  Joseph 
here  on  this  same  land.     (Josh.  24-32.) 

While  our  supper  and  tent  were  being  prepared,  hiring  a  boy 
for  guide,  we  drove  on  through  the  streets  of  Shechem  to 
Jacob's  Well.  We  were  in  a  mountain  valley,  and  to  the  left — 
looking  to  the  east  is  Mount  Ebal,  and  to  the  right,  Gerizim. 
The  well  is  nearly  a  mile  east  of  the  present  village,  which  is 
directly  between  these  two  noted  mountains.  At  and  around 
the  well  the  ground  all  slopes  towards  the  Jordan.  Where 
the  village  has  the  drainage  is  towarti  the  Mediterranean. 

lasiah  speaks  of  the  fatness  of  these  valleys,  the  beauty  of 
their  flowers,  and  this  valley  and  surroundings  was  known  as 


1«2  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

"Delightsome  Land."     Knocking  at  the  entrance  of  an  en- 
closure, where  the  well  is  located,  the  door  was  opened.    To 
get  to  the  well  we  were  guided  by  an  aged  patriarchial  look- 
ing man  to  the  rear  of  the  enclosure  and  down  a  few  steps 
of  stone.     At  or  about  the  fifth  century  a  church  was  built 
over  this  well.    Now,  all  is  gone  except  some  broken  pillars. 
Unlocking  another  entrance  we  saw  the  well,  with  its  old  curb 
stones,  having  a  circular  entrance  just  about  large  enough  for 
a  man  to  squeeze  through,  or  to  pull  out  a  goat  skin  full  of 
water.     Below  the  opening  the  well  is  about  seven  feet  in 
diameter  and  seventy-five  feet  deep.    In  the  early  part  of  the 
last  century  the  well  was  105  feet  deep.    Nobody  knows  how 
the  difference  was  filled  in.    There  was  no  water  there  when 
we  saw  it,  being  just  at  the  close  of  the  dry  season.     I  sat 
down  on  the  opening  curb  stones,  gray,  and  polished  smooth 
with  use,  besides  being  well  worn.     One  day  Jesus  came  to 
this  well  on  his  way  from  Judea  to  Galilee.    He  came  "about 
the  sixth  hour"  or  about  the  middle  of  the  day.    Farther  west 
this  valley  has  eight  fine  living  springs  of  water.     He  came 
from  the  east  up  a  steeply  ascending  slope  where  there  is  no 
water.    He  had  reached  the  little  city  of  Sychar,  an  outlying 
settlement  from   Shechem.     Coming  up  this   steep  mountain 
slope,  in  the  heat  of  the  day,  over  these  dusty  trails,  he  was 
weary,  warm,  worn  and  tired.     He  sat  on  the  well,  resting. 
He  was  thirsty.    A  woman  came  to  draw  water.    On  her  head 
was  an  empty  earthen  water  pot  or  jar,  standing  alone.    Her 
motion  in  walking  kept  the  jar  in  position.     In  one  of  her 
hands  or  coiled  up  on  her  arm,  was  a  piece  of  home  spun 
rope,  a  little  more  than  one  hundred  feet  long,  as  the  well 
was  deep.     This  is  a  true  picture.     I  have  seen  hundreds  of 
women  going  after  water,  to  a  well,  on  this  trip  through  Pales- 
tine in  the  same  way.     You  know  the  rest  of  the  story,  how 
he  tarried  two  days  where  many  Samaritans  saw  Jesus.    It  is 
a  beautiful  experience  to  meet  Jesus  and  know  that  it  is  He. 
The  woman  was  so  interested  that  she  forgot  all  about  the 
need  for  water  at  her  home,  left  the  water  pot  at  the  well  and 
went  back   without  any  water,  telling  every   man  she  saw. 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  1»1 

that  the  time  was  too  short.  I  was  so  absorbed  in  thought, 
history  and  association  that  I  ate  but  little.  Each  day  was 
crowned  with  a  necklace  of  jewels  more  lustrous  than  the 
one  preceding  it     A  tiara  brighter  than  any  king  ever  wore. 

As  we  climbed  intervening  ridges  the  dome-shaped  top  of 
Mount  Tabor  was  still  in  view,  as  beautiful  in  shape  and  as 
impressive  in  situation  and  looks  as  it  ever  was  in  the  "olden 
days."  About  noon  clouds  and  rifts  of  sunshine  kept  alter- 
nating each  other,  lending  additional  lustre  and  charm  to  a 
pleasing  landscape. 

The  village  people  were  gathering  olives,  a  much  better 
crop  on  an  average  than  in  Italy.  Most  of  them  had  no  lad- 
ders ;  knocking  them  oflF  with  poles.  Little  bits  of  ground  was 
being  plowed  between  the  rocks  on  the  hillsides,  with  the 
smallest  of  oxen.  By  the  side  of  each  village  are  their  thresh- 
ing floors,  and  quite  often  you  meet  or  pass  caravans  of  camels 
moving  in  rigid  lines,  as  camels  seem  to  get  their  eyes  fixed 
on  some  distant  object  and  never  deviate  from  their  course. 
Towards  evening  we  entered  a  road  fitted  up  for  carriages 
coming  from  Haiffa.  Entering  this  road,  bordered  with  gar- 
dens and  fruit  trees,  we  soon  came  to  Shechem,  the  place 
where  Abraham  built  an  altar,  the  first  one  in  the  Promised 
land,  as  related  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Genesis. 

Jacob  bought  a  "parcel  of  a  field,"  dug  a  well  on  the  land, 
reared  an  altar,  living  here  many  years.  He  gave  this  land 
to  Joseph  and  years  afterwards,  the  Israelites  buried  Joseph 
here  on  this  same  land.     (Josh.  24-32.) 

While  our  supper  and  tent  were  being  prepared,  hiring  a  boy 
for  guide,  we  drove  on  through  the  streets  of  Shechem  to 
Jacob's  Well.  We  were  in  a  mountain  valley,  and  to  the  left — 
looking  to  the  east  is  Mount  Ebal,  and  to  the  right,  Gerizim. 
The  well  is  nearly  a  mile  east  of  the  present  village,  which  is 
directly  between  these  two  noted  mountains.  At  and  around 
the  well  the  ground  all  slopes  towards  the  Jordan.  Where 
the  village  has  the  drainage  is  towara  the  Mediterranean. 

lasiah  speaks  of  the  fatness  of  these  valleys,  the  beauty  of 
their  flowers,  and  this  valley  and  surroundings  was  known  as 


194  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

and  blessings  from  the  mountain  we  were  climbing.  We 
could  hear  people  talking  down  in  the  valley  below,  thus  prov- 
ing to  us  how  all  Israel  heard  both  curses  and  the  blessings.  It 
must  have  been  a  remarkable  scene,  as  we  stood  and  pictured 
out  the  position  of  the  people  on  that  memorable  occasion. 

We  came  to  the  ruins  of  a  great  temple  erected  by  Sanballat, 
king  of  Samaria,  about  450  B.  C,  where  temple  worship  was 
carried  on  similar  to  its  mode  of  service  at  Jerusalem.  Some 
of  the  courses  of  the  stones  and  most  of  the  foundations  are 
still  there,  of  large  area,  and  it  must  have  been  an  imposing 
temple.  There  is  a  little  square  stone  building  in  the  temple 
enclosure  where  a  sacrifice  of  lambs  and  the  feast  of  the 
passover  is  kept  up — the  only  place  in  the  world — once  a  year. 

Seven  white  Iambs  are  offered  up  for  sacrifice  each  spring  at 
the  time  of  the  paschal  moon. 
As  we  came  down  the  mountain  we  visited  their  synagogue. 

The  Samaritan  high  priest  took  us  into  their  house  of  wor- 
ship— a  fine,  intelligent  looking  man.  There  are  five  locks  on  the 
stout  wooden  door.  The  last  key  he  used  is  fully  one  foot  in 
length.  Very  large  keys  are  still  used  all  over  Palestine,  a 
surprise  at  every  turn.  There  are  only  about  a  hundred  peo- 
ple keeping  up  this  old  form  of  Jewish  worship.  As  we  en- 
tered, the  carpet  was  thrown  back  a  few  paces  from  the  en- 
trance and  we  were  requested  not  to  step  farther  than  the 
bare  space.  We  wanted  to  see  their  old  copies  of  the  law 
written  on  parchment.  With  our  shoes  taken  off  I  presume 
we  could  have  walked  on  the  carpet.  There  are  no  windows 
in  the  little  synagogue,  just  two  apertures  in  the  ceiling,  and 
even  these  are  securely  vaulted.  Hanging  across  a  recess  in 
the  wall  towards  Mount  Gerizim,  their  "holy  mount,"  is  a  cur- 
tain of  white  linen,  then  green  and  purple  is  worked  on  it,  the 
whole  being  very  rich  and  handsome  and  forming  the  veil,  as 
inside  is  the  "holy  of  holies."  No  one  but  the  priest  is  al- 
lowed to  enter  this  place.  We  were  shown  three  sets  of 
manuscript,  one  written  by  Ahisha,  the  great-grandson  of 
Aaron.    The  priest  reached  behind  the  veil  to  get  these  rare 

manuscripts.    These  people  use  nothing  but  the  books  of  the 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  195 

law  in  their  worship.  The  oldest  parchment  was  wrapped  in- 
side of  a  silver  looking  case,  and  we  were  wonderfully  inter- 
ested in  it,  as  it  is  believed  by  experts  to  be  the  oldest  manu- 
script written  on  parchment  in  the  world,  dating  from  the  third 
century  at  least.  Once  a  year  all  their  people  are  allowed  to 
kiss  a  portion  of  this  old  parchment  where  the  blessings  are 
written.  The  construction  of  the  case  holding  this  parchment, 
the  engraved  figures  of  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  candlesticks 
and  various  instruments  used  in  their  sacrificial  service,  with 
all  the  surroundings  so  strange  to  us,  mementos  of  the  past, 
engaged  our  attention  in  a  remarkable  way.  No  wonder  they 
had  five  locks,  including  two  padlocks,  on  the  door.  Many 
wonderful  thing®  we  were  seeing  in  our  wanderings  over  land 
and  sea.  Events  crowd  each  other  so  rapid,  their  swing  is  so 
mighty  and  reaches  so  far  imto  the  past  that  I  am  amazed 
every  day  as  we  pass  them  on  the  way.  A  mine  of  thought 
each  one  reveals ;  a  treasure  house  until  now  concealed.  Is 
my  span  of  life  to  last  until  all  this  treasure  is  within  my 
grasp  ? 

Remounting  our  horses  we  rode  rapidly  away  as  the  mule- 
teers with  tents  and  luggage  had  preceded  us  at  an  early  hour. 
As  we  passed  Jacob's  well  we  saw  a  tomb  not  far  away,  said 
to  be  Joseph's,  but  we  doubt  if  the  spot  of  his  burial  is  known. 
As  we  turned  towards  the  south,  the  beautiful  plain  and  the 
curved  hills  stretching  away  east  and  south  of  the  well  are  in 
many  respects  the  choicest  bits  of  scenery  in  all  of  Palestine. 
Contour,  change,  color  and  sweep  of  vision,  until  beyond  the 
Jordan  where  the  mountains  of  Moab  and  Gilead  filled  out  the 
picture,  was  the  view  that  Jacob  ami  his  sons  saw.  The 
sun,  as  we  rode  along,  only  peeped  at  us  now  and  then ;  birds 
were  singing  notes  of  glee,  and  just  on  the  rocky  hard  spots 
of  the  trail  were  patches  of  that  beautiful  pink  flower,  the 
autumn  crocus — one  of  the  loveliest  flowers  that  ever  looked 
at  the  sun,  standing  all  alone  on  its  stalk  with  not  a  leaf  in 
sight.  The  saffron  that  in  the  Song  of  Solomon  (4:14)  he 
sang  about  is  obtained  by  pressing  the  petal-like  stigmas  of 
this  flower  and  drying  them.    We  passed  three  lepers  begging 


196  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

by  the  wayside,  poor,  pitiful,  hopeless-looking  men.  Valleys, 
villages  and  hills  looked  at  us  as  we  passed  on  towards  Jeru- 
salem. Each  hour  gave  us  delight  as  something  new  caught 
the  eye.  At  2  o'clock  p.  m.  off  a  rounded  hill,  with  only 
one  small  building  and  some  ruins  in  view,  to  the  east  of 
our  trail,  was  the  site  of  historic  Shiloh,  The  tent  built  by 
Moses  in  the  desert,  called  the  Tabernacle,  found  a  resting 
place  at  Shiloh.  It  was  a  city  with  a  wonderful  history. 
This  tabernacle  remained  in  Shiloh  during  the  entire  period 
of  the  Judges.  Great  annual  gatherings  here  occurred  and 
dances  were  held.  The  little  valley  surrounding  the  hill  of 
Shiloh  was  this  place  of  gathering,  with  adjacent  hills  of 
the  right  height  to  hold  thousands  of  people  as  they  looked 
on.  Every  Bible  story  about  this  land  has  conditions  of 
hill  and  valley  about  the  story  that  exactly  fits  the  place 
and  the  way  the  tale  is  told. 

After  passing  Shiloh  the  trail  led  us  for  several  miles 
down  a  narrow,  rocky  valley,  some  of  the  time  through 
groves  of  large  olive  trees,  then  over  a  trail,  still  descend- 
ing, of  nothing  but  rocks.  Yet  up  on  the  mountain  slopes, 
on  little  terraces,  between  ledges  and  huge  piles  of  loose 
rock,  were  Arab  farmers,  plowing  with  their  teams  of  small 
oxen,   and   some   of  them    had   cows   yoked  together. 

We  passed  the  usual  camping  place  sometime  before  sun- 
down, and  the  dragoman  wanted  to  camp;  we  told 
hiim  "No"  we  were  going  to  camp  at  Bethel.  At  sun- 
down Bethel  was  not  in  sight,  neither  did  the  dragoman  or 
the  muleteers  know  just  where  to  find  Bethel,  only  we  knew 
we  were  on  a  trail  leading  in  that  direction.  We  took  the 
lead,  now  on  an  ascending  trail  around  and  over  the  rocks. 
On  and  on  until  the  twilight  entirely  faded  away,  and  still 
no  appearance  of  Bethel  or  any  other  village.  In  the  after- 
noon on  the  right  we  had  passed  Gilgal — ^the  one  mentioned 
so  often  in  connection  with  the  prophet  Elijah.  There  are 
five  ancient  places  called  Gilgal  in  Palestine,  therefore  in 
studying  Bible  history  we  have  to  be  careful  to  know  which 
one  the  narrative  records,  or  we  may  be  mystified  in  trac- 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  197 

ing  events  and  places.  With  only  a  few  stars  to  light  us 
on  the  way,  as  clouds  were  gathering  in  the  sky,  we  plodded 
on  still  in  the  lead.  We  began  to  think  we  were  obstinate 
in  pushing  on  to  Bethel.  We  missed  the  trail,  wandering 
along  among  the  rocks,  with  no  sound  except  the  footfalls 
of  the  five  horses  and  the  ass,  with  jackals  crying  out  in 
shrill  voices  on  the  rocky  hill  sides^  In  the  distance  a  dog 
commenced  barking,  giving  us  a  clue  as  to  the  direction 
which  proved  to  be  the  little  village  of  Beitin,  the  Bethel  of 
Bible  history.  We  retired  as  soon  as  a  camping  place  could 
be  found,  very  tired,  yet  we  had  plans  to  carry  out  in  the 
morning. 

As  I  walked  out  of  the  tent  in  the  morning,  I  was  sur- 
prised to  see  an  ancient  reservoir  said  to  be  three  hundred 
feet  one  way  and  two  hundred  the  other;  now  used  as  a 
threshing  floor  by  this  little  village  of  poor  people.  On  a 
hill  near  by  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  tower  and  old  founda- 
tions of  ancient  buildings.  The  name  of  the  place  on  the 
early  pages  of  history  was  Luz.  One  day  along  the  same 
rocky  trail  we  were  traveling  over — that  has  been  traveled 
on  for  thousands  of  years-— Jacob  was  traveling,  tortured 
in  mind,  fleeing  away  from  a  brother  he  had  wronged,  and 
as  with  us,  darkness  overtook  him,  and  with  the  ground 
for  a  bed,  a  stone  for  a  pillow,  and  the  skies  for  a  covering, 
he  laid  down  to  sleep.  The  unexpected  happened,  as  it 
often  does  in  everybody's  life,  and  instead  of  a  deep  restful 
sleep,  he  dreamed  a  dream;  you  know  what  it  was — a  lad- 
der, the  longest  one  ever  seen,  and  angels  walking  up  and 
down  the  ladder.  He  was  scared.  Just  as  you  and  I  have 
seen  people  living  in  America,  after  fhey  had  a  dream  and 
connected  it  with  some  dreadful  omen.  You  know  the  rest 
of  the  story,  how  he  became  afraid  and,  like  everybody  else, 
who  is  afraid,  got  up  very  early  in  the  morning.  It  is  a 
beautiful  story.  Hunt  it  up  and  read  it  and  get  the  sequel, 
where  it  tells  why  this  village  was  called  Bethel. 

While  eating  breakfast,  the  women  of  the  village  came 
to  the  spring,  near  the  bottom  of  the  reservoir,  after  water. 


198  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLNG    THE    GLOBE. 

to  the  same  spring  and  in  the  same  way  as  thousands  of 
years  ago.  Our  prepared  plan  now  came  to  fruition.  We 
walked  nearly  two  miles  directly  east  towards  the  old  city  of 
Ai.  We  climbed  the  eminence  where  Abraham  and  Lot 
agreed  to  part  A  beautiful  view,  especally  toward  the  Jor- 
dan and  the  Dead  Sea,  All  the  Jordan  valley  near  the  Dead 
Sea,  "well  watered"  and  beautiful  sloping  hills  leading  to 
this  valley,  were  at  the  east  and  southeast.  No  wonder  Lot 
"pitched  his  tent  toward  Sodom."  Abraham  gave  Lot  his 
choice  as  they  stood  on  the  hill  we  were  standing  on  and 
looked  at  the  country.  It  was  a  beautiful  arrangement,  no 
more  quarreling  among  the  herdsmen.  Lot,  of  course,  went 
home  and  told  his  wife  how  good  the  Lord  was  to  him 
and  his  household,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  Lot's  wife 
went  singing  about  the  tent  and  that  night  dreamed  beau- 
tiful dreams — little  dreaming  of  the  sad,  direful  fate  await- 
ing her.  Read  the  interesting  story,  and  that  description  of 
how  the  country  looked  to  Lot  is  equally  as  good  today  as 
we  were  standing  on  the  spot.  You  will  also  notice  that 
years  before,  Abraham  erected  an  altar  on  this  eminence  to 
the  Lord.  We  here  saw  our  first  glimpse  of  Jerusalem 
and  the  tall,  white  Russian  tower  on  Mount  Olivet.  Emo- 
tions resemble  the  great  sea,  sometimes  passively  quiet,  then 
again  heaving  with  a  tremendous  throb.  Force  always  pre- 
cedes action,  and  at  the  moment  I  saw  Jerusalem  and  Mount 
Olivet,  a  singular  force,  irresistible  and  uncontrollable,  took 
possession  of  every  fibre  of  my  being.  We  returned  to  camp 
and  again  for  the  last  day  rode  toward  Jerusalem.  Good 
trails,  villages  quite  numerous,  and  more  tillable  land  was 
about  us  than  farther  north;  feed  for  cattle  very  scarce; 
as  I  saw  one  Arab  up  in  a  fig  tree  pulling  the  leaves  oflF  to 
feed  two  cattle  below.  We  were  much  interested  in  our 
approach  to  Jerusalem,  watching  from  every  ridge  and  hill 
its  nearing  panorama.  We  came  to  a  nice  carriage  road, 
and  it  seemed  strange  to  ride  along  this  road  after  riding 
two  hundred  miles  without  roads — just  trails  across  the  coun- 
try.   As   we   came   to   Mount    Scopus,   the   mountain    facing 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  199 

Jerusalem,  about  a  mile  away  toward  tbe  north,  we  sat 
down  to  eat  our  lunch.  Here  is  where  Titus  camped  and 
all  the  besieging  armies  that  ever  encompassed  Jerusalem, 
as  this  is  the  only  approachable  side  outside  of  the  walled 
city.  I  was  surprised  to  see  so  many  large  and  good  look- 
ing buildings,  especially  north  of  the  walled  city,  where 
there  is  plenty  of  room  to  grow.  Rapidly  we  scanned  from  the 
distance  every  feature  of  interest  we  could  see,  and  mount- 
ing again  for  the  last  time,  we  rode  forward,  proceeding  to 
the  Olivet  House,  not  far  from  the  Jaffa  gate,  where  all 
the  hotels  are.  People  were  surprised  to  see  us  coming  in 
from  Damascus,  as  after  the  cholera  started  on  the  route 
we  were  the  only  ones  able  to  get  through.  The  trip  was 
finished.  Sixteen  days  we  stayed  in  and  about  Jerusalem, 
camping  "down  to  Jericho"  out  of  Gibeon,  Mizpeh,  Bethle- 
hem and  Solomon's  Pools,  then  to  Jaffa  and  Egypt. 

As  our  room  was  in  full  view  of  Mount  Olivet  and  New 
Calvary,  we  saw  the  sun  rise  several  mornings,  and  with 
much  interest,  expectation  and  thought  I  watched  the  morn- 
ing light  as  it  would  gather  and  culminate  as  the  sun  ap- 
peared over  the  crest  of  historic  Olivet.  During  these  six- 
teen days  it  rained  about  five  inches  in  Jerusalem,  and  at 
times  the  weather  was  chilly  and  cold.  Some  sharp  light- 
ning and  heavy  peals  of  thunder  occurred,  sounding  to  me 
like  echoes  coming  down  from  the  pas*.  Jerusalem!  How 
magical  the  name,  and  how  elastic  my  footsteps  were  as  I 
started  out  to  see  the  city.  All  the  hotels  are  near  the  Jaffa 
gate,  and  there  are  many  large,  fine  looking  buildings  on  the 
north  of  the  walled  city,  and  outside  of  the  walls  much 
building  is  being  done.  An  exceptional  city,  the  central  one 
of  Bible  history  and  prophecy,  destined  to  yet  play  an  im- 
portant part  in  this  old  world's  history,  even  as  in  the  past 
Tremendous  events  have  occurred  here,  greater  than  any 
battefield  ever  recorded  in  the  annals  of  history.  Human 
life  is  full  of  tragedy  everywhere,  yet  in  depth  and  force 
tragedy  had   its    full   play   in   and   about   this   city;    fringed 


200  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

with  pathos,  tenderness  and  love,  as  never  seen  on  earth  be- 
fore or  since  our  Saviour's  crucifixion  and  resurrection. 

I  entered  the  walled  city  full  of  Oriental  life  and  char- 
acter. There  are  many  old  gray  haired  men,  mostly  Jews.  They 
come  to  Jerusalem  to  die,  as  they  want  to  be  buried  on 
the  -slopes  of  Mount  Olivet,  as  almost  the  entire  side  of 
this  mountain  facing  Jerusalem  is  one  vast  Jewish 
cemetery,  of  nearly  all  ffeit  tombstones.  I  saw  them  inter- 
ring their  dead  there  several  times.  By  appearance  the 
ground  in  the  many  centuries  of  time  that  has  elapsed  has 
been  buried  over  and  over. 

Many  Jews  wear  curls,  training  their  hair  that  way.  This 
mark  is  said  to  be  a  sign  that  they  belong  to  the  tribe  of 
Judah.  There  are  priests  everywhere  of  all  kinds — Greek, 
Latin,  Jesuit,  Maronate,  Abyssinian,  Coptic,  Armenian  and 
friars  dressed  in  brown,  all  wearing  keys  and  priestly  robes, 
causing  one  to  wonder  why  they  are  all  there. 

Donkeys,  loaded  with  almost  everything  one  can  think  of, 
jostle  you  at  every  step  as  you  tread  along  in  the  little  nar- 
row streets  and  bazaars.  A  curious  lot  of  people  from  every 
clime  and  country,  except  the  far  eastern  ones  of  India  and 
China  and  those  surrounding  them.  Arabs  with  their  cloaks 
on  (Abbas),  Jews  wearing  long  cloaks,  flowing  robes  of 
all  colors,  pass  and  repass  you  until  this  ever-changing  ka- 
leidoscope of  color  and  character  impress  you  as  nothing 
ever  does  in  Occidental  lands.  The  city  has  been  destroyed 
six  times  and  many  feet  beneath  its  present  streets  are  the 
foundation  stones  of  ancient  Jerusalem.  I  saw  the  grain  mer- 
ciiants  selling  grain.  The  purchaser  pressed  the  grain  down, 
shook  it  and  heaped  the  measure  until  not  another  kernel  could 
be  heaped  on,  just  as  in  Bible  times,  taking  many  minutes  of 
time  to  measure  enough  to  fill  a  sack.  All  the  wood  mer- 
chants sell  wood  by  weight  and  buy  it  the  same  way.  We 
walked  to  the  wailing  place  of  the  Jews,  outside  of  the 
supposed  original  wall  of  the  temple  enclosure,  yet  inside 
of  the  city.  Here  in  their  quaint  costumes  they  recite  their 
prayers,  and  with  a  continual  swaying  back  and  forth  bewail 


IH  i.\  K  i:S      A  .\  ii     I  i,\      I'i.'  '  >\   !   \'  , 
JUST   OUTSIDK  THE  WALLS  OK  JEKUSALKM 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  201 

the  desolation  that  has  overtaken  the  land,  yet  according  to 
prophecy.  Some  are  there  at  all  times,  and  several  hundred 
each   Friday  at   sunset,  when  their  Sabbath  commences. 

Most  of  the  many  thousands  of  Jews  in  Jerusalem  are  very 
poor  and  live  in  such  filthy  houses  and  quarters  as  to  be 
almost  beyond  description.  No  one  except  a  Mohammedan 
is  allowed  to  enter  the  temple  enclosure  without  a  permit 
which  ihas  to  be  purchased  at  a  megida  (90  cents)  each  and  an 
attendant  and  a  soldier  are  required  to  accompany  you. 
Before  knowing  this  we  were  walking  near  one  of  the 
gates  of  the  enclosure  one  day,  and  after  watching  many 
women  as  they  filled  and  carried  away  jugs  of  water 
as  it  came  into  a  little  basin  from  Solomon's  pools,  we  saw 
an  open  gate  and  started  to  walk  in.  Several  Mohammedans 
sprang  at  us,  one  of  them  brandishing  a  club,  and  we  were 
ordered  back  very  peremptorily,  I  believe  if  we  had  taken 
another  step  forward  we  would  have  been  knocked  down. 
After  this,  with  our  purchased  permits,  we  visited  the  en- 
closure, the  old  site  of  Solomon's  temple  and  the  grounds, 
in  all  about  thirty-five  acres.  The  famous  rounded  dome  of 
the  Mosque  of  Omar  is  built  over  the  rock  that  David  pur- 
chased as  a  threshing  floor,  and  is  believed  to  be  the  very 
spot  where  Abraham  reared  an  altar  for  the  sacrifice  of  his 
only  son.  No  one  is  allowed  to  touch  the  large  rock,  it 
being  fenced  in.  The  top  of  the  rock  was  much  disfigured 
by  the  Crusaders,  who  covered  some  of  it  with  marble,  now 
taken  away. 

This  rock,  about  fifty  feet  in  diameter,  and  stands  about 
six  feet  high,  is  known  to  the  Jewish  people  as  the  Sakara, 
or  "Stone  of  Foundation,"  and  they  have  a  legend  that  this 
rock  is  the  world's  center,  and  around  which  the  world 
was  formed.  We  descended  a  staircase  which  leads  to  a 
cavern  under  the  rock,  where  it  is  said  Mohammed  prayed 
and  ascended  to  heaven  from  this  cavern.  If  the  Talmudic 
account  of  the  temple  that  Solomon  built  is  correct,  then 
the  center  of  this  rock  was  the  center  of  the  "Holy  of 
Holies"  and  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  rested  there.    Next  to 


202  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE  GLOBE. 

Mecca  this  is  the  great  sacred  spot  of  the  Mahommedans, 
and  of  course  all  our  shoes  had  to  be  removed  as  we  walked 
about.  Most  of  the  thirty-five  acres  are  covered  with  pave- 
ments, and  underneath  are  Solomon's  stables,  to  which  we 
descended,  and  also  the  quarries  where  fhe  stone  to  con- 
struct the  temple  was  obtained.  Large  pillars  of  original 
rock  still  stand  to  support  the  surface  above,  and  one  may 
wander  for  hours  in  these  great  subterranean  chambers. 

My  heart  was  strangely  stirred  as  I  looked  around  on  this 
spot  where  the  Savior  taught  the  people  and  performed  mir- 
acles. Here  those  beautiful  poetic  psalms  of  David  were 
first  sung,  so  grand  and  touching  that  many  human  heart* 
are  humming  them  over  today,  warming  their  hearts  as 
nothing  but  the  divine  word  can.  It  was  here  that  for  many 
centuries,  and  nowhere  else  on  the  earth,  God  manifested 
himself  in  the  Shechinah  to  his  people. 

How   beautiful   to   let  our   souls   expand  and  grow, 
Especially  if  our  hearts  are  responsive  too. 
These  seasons  are  within  the  reach  of  all, 
The  only  condition  is  to  hear  the  Savior's  calL 
One  of  the  benefits  of  travel  is  to  get  above  commonplace 
things    around   you,    and   catch   as   the   occasion   may   offer, 
something    of    the    wonderful    wealth    all    about    us.      Many 
Moslems  were  reading  their  Korans  in  the  larger  mosque  on 
the  grounds  and  others  were  engaged  in  apparently  zealous 
devotions.    At  all  the  stated  hours  of  prayer  in  all  the  large 
mosques,  a  man  will  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  minaret  just  be- 
fore the  time  and  call  the  people  to  prayer.    Usually  he  sings 
out  his  call  in  a  loud  voice,  recounting  the  goodness  of  God 
and    sometimes    the    greatness    of    his    prophet    Mohammed. 
As    I    passed   out   of   these    wonderful    sacred    and    historic 
grounds,  there  came  to  me  this  thought,  speaking  it  almost 
in  an  audible  voice :    "This  has  been  one  of  the  greatest  days 
of  my  life." 

Everybody  visiting  Jerusalem  takes  a  trip  "down  to  Jeri- 
cho." There  is  a  carriage  road  in  good  condition  curving 
on  a  grade  as  it  descends  through  the  "wilderness  of  Judea," 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  203 

Most  people  are  made  to  believe  that  the  road  is  infested  with 
robbers.  It  undoubtedly  is  if  you  do  not  pay  money  to  the 
Turkish  government  for  protection.  If  you  travel  otherwise 
you  will  be  robbed.  Our  dragoman  paid  for  a  guard.  We 
never  saw  ham  omly  at  the  "Good  Samaritan"  inn.  With  a 
dragoman  and  driver  one  fine  morning  we  started  from 
near  the  Jaffa  gate  for  Jericho.  We  passed  along  to  the  east, 
north  of  the  walled  city,  near  the  Damascus  gate  and  down 
across  the  Kedron  valley  by  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 
Birds  were  singing,  and  after  the  rain  of  a  few  days  pre- 
vious, green  grass  was  beginning  to  grow,  and  the  lovely 
crocus  flower  was  still  peering  at  us  from  the  roadside,  full 
of  sweetness  and  color.  On  the  northern  slopes  of  Olivet  and 
in  and  about  the  Kedron  valley,  the  Arab  farmers  were  plow- 
ing the  small  patches  of  land,  with  the  poorest  and  smallest 
of  oxen. 

Passing  close  to  the  tomb  of  Absalom,  the  most  conspicuous 
object  in  the  valley,  cut  out  of  the  original  rock,  twenty  feet 
above  the  rubbish  at  its  base  and  about  the  same  size  on  each 
side.  Above  this  is  a  circular  body  of  hewn  stone  surmounted 
by  a  small  dome  and  spire.  It  looks  very  old  and  many  Jews 
pelt  it  with  stones  in  passing.  We  then  pass  through  the 
great  Jewish  cemetery,  winding  along  and  around  the  slopes 
of  Olivet,  until  we  come  to  the  village  of  Bethany,  about  a 
mile  from  the  summit  of  Olivet.  This  village  of  thirty  or 
forty  flat-roofed  houses  has  a  beautiful  secluded  situation.  I 
declined  entering  the  house  of  Lazarus  and  his  reputed  tomb, 
as  they  looked  too  modern. 

The  location  of  this  village  in  such  a  quiet,  restful  spot  was 
its  charm  for  Jesus,  as  here  he  seemed  to  have  a  home.  The 
inhabitants  are  great  beggars  and  are  wretchedly  poor.  With 
a  rapid  descent  we  soon  came  to  the  "Well  of  the  Apostles," 
so  called  as  it  is  the  only  spring  for  miles  on  this  route  and 
is  always  a  resting  place.  Not  a  tree  or  bush  on  any  of 
these  mountains,  affording  scanty  pasturage  to  a  few  goats, 
and  their  herdsmen  are  the  only  inhabitants  as  there  are  no 
villages  on  the  entire  road  after  leaving  Bethany.    There  is 


204  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

much  travel,  as  the  people  of  a  large  area  of  country  in  Moab 
east  of  the  Jordan  all  use  this  road  to  Jerusalem.  Parties 
usually  were  armed,  rifles  strung  on  their  backs,  and  as  we 
continually  met  these  Oriental  people  in  all  kinds  of  costumes, 
some  on  foot,  others  riding  asses,  camels  and  horses,  and  driv- 
ing their  pack  animals,  we  soon  learned  by  their  dress  and 
appearance  the  part  of  the  country  they  came  from.  About 
half  way  down  we  came  to  the  "Good  Samaritan"  inn,  where 
the  man  that  fell  among  thieves  was  cared  for.  Soon  after  at 
our  left  we  saw  the  brook  Cherith,  where  Elijah  lived  in  a 
cave  and  was  fed  by  ravens. 

A  little  farther  along  is  the  Mount  of  Temptation,  overlook- 
ing the  Jordan  valley.  It  is  a  steep,  almost  inaccessible 
peak,  a  little  higher  than  the  surrounding  mountains,  and 
tradition  marks  it  as  the  spot  of  Christ's  temptation  for  forty 
days.  A  more  lonely  spot  cannot  be  imagined  and  nothing 
in  all  the  world  more  desolate.  As  we  emerged  from  the 
mountains  out  into  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  we  were  not  far 
from  the  ancient  site  of  Jericho,  the  subject  of  such  a  remark- 
able Bible  story.  We  drove  directly  down  the  valley  about  ten 
miles  to  the  Dead  Sea,  the  lowest  spot  beneath  the  level  of 
the  sea  in  the  world  (1292  feet).  For  the  first  time  in  my 
life  I  went  in  swimming  and  I  could  not  sink.  All  I  had  to 
do  was  to  keep  my  head  up  and  I  could  propel  myself  or  float 
like  a  cork  anywhere.  Not  a  fish  can  live  in  its  waters,  and 
on  the  shore  were  many  dead  fish  all  pickled  in  salt,  and  dry 
as  they  lay  up  on  the  bank  several  feet  above  the  water's 
edge,  evidently  brought  down  into  the  sea  by  the  river  Jor- 
dan in  the  last  winter  floods  and  cast  up  on  the  shore.  We 
were  about  two  miles  from  the  place  where  the  Jordan  entered 
the  sea.  Some  drift  wood  but  not  a  living  green  plant  was 
on  or  near  the  shore.  No  village  in  sight  except  Jericho, 
ten  miles  away. 

Toward  the  south  on  the  right  the  mountains  come  close 
to  the  sea,  bare,  precipitous  and  desolate.  Just  east  of  us  was 
Mount  Pisgah,  where  Moses  surveyed  the  land  but  was  not 
allowed  to  enter.     As  far  as  we  could  see  north  and  south 


TRAveLING    IN    PALESTINE.  203 

of  the  mount  where  Moses  stood  was  a  uniform  and  almost 
unbroken  range  of  mountains.  Yet  back  of  these  mountains 
there  is  a  fairly  level  and  fertile  country. 

We  again  climbed  into  our  carriage  and  drove  a  few  miles 
away  to  one  of  the  noted  fords  of  the  Jordan,  the  place  where 
thousands  of  Pilgrims,  mostly  Russians,  are  baptized  each 
Easter  day.  We  ate  our  lunch  there  in  the  shade  of  some 
trees  and  as  we  looked  at  this  muddy  Jordan  river  running 
along,  of  considerable  volume  of  water,  and  then  remembered 
how  clear  the  rivers  of  Damascus  looked,  we  did  not  wonder 
at  what  Naaman,  the  leper,  said  as  the  Bible  story  tells  us. 

We  were  not  far  from  where  the  Israelites  crossed  this 
river  on  dry  land  into  the  "promised  land" — the  most  mys- 
terious river  in  the  world.  Its  sources  are  unlike  other  rivers, 
and  its  discharge  into  this  sea  where  its  fresh  water  is  never 
seen  again  is  marvelous.  Three  times  by  power  from  above, 
this  great  river  has  been  held  back,  parted  as  it  were,  so  that 
its  passage  could  be  made  as  on  dry  land.  Not  a  city  ever 
stood  on  its  banks.  Not  a  ship  ever  sailed  on  its  waters  ex- 
cept where  in  the  two  instances  above  it  spreads  into  an  ex- 
panse of  sea.  Its  length,  about  one  hundred  miles,  unlike 
any  other  river  on  the  earth,  runs  most  of  the  way  in  its 
course  beneath  the  level  of  the  sea.  I  walked  along  the  banks 
in  thickets  of  forest  and  vines  so  dense  that  I  could 
scarcely  go. 

After  lunch  we  drove  to  "Elisha's  spring,"  not  far  from  the 
present  village  of  Jericho,  which  without  doubt  is  the  very 
spring  that  Elisha  healed  the  waters ;  an  account  of  it  may  be 
found  in  2  Kings  2:  19-22. 

It  is  a  large  spring  coming  out  of  a  little  hill,  of  perhaps 
one  hundred  inches  of  water.  Below  it  are  gardens,  some 
orange  groves,  bananas  and  palm  trees  all  irrigated  from  this 
spring,  also  supplying  Jericho  with  water. 

We  stayed  over  night  in  Jericho,  finding  it  almost  too  warm 
to  sleep.  We  were  in  a  village  situated  farther  below  the 
sea  level  than  any  other  one  in  the  world.  Here  was  tropical 
heat,  never  any  frost,  and  that  morning  in  Jerusalem  it  was 


206  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

too  cold  to  sit  in  doors  without  a  fire.  In  the  hotel  garden  is 
a  large  sycamore  or  wild  fig  tree  and  seeing  it  reminded  me 
that  it  was  at  Jericho,  Nicodemus  climbed  into  a  sycamore 
tree  to  see  Jesus  pass  by.  In  the  morning  I  was  up  to  see  the 
sun  rise  over  the  mountains  of  Moab.  Almost  over  the  crest 
of  Mount  Pisgah  the  sun  arose,  throwing  its  sparkling  gleams 
of  light  over  land  and  sea,  lighting  up  the  treeless  mountains 
west  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  all  the  so-called  "Wilderness  of 
JiKka^"  until  each  rock,  crag  and  peak  was  bathed  in  colors 
of  amber  and  violet  as  films  of  fleecy  folds  of  cumuli  brushed 
the  face  of  the  sun  in  recurring  intervals  of  time.  At  about 
two  o'clock  that  afternoon  we  again  entered  Jerusalem,  real- 
izing that  each  day  seemed  almost  a  lifetime,  traveling  where 
mighty  events  have  taken  place,  each  moment  crowded  with 
thought  until  all  my  senses  were  so  occupied  that  I  seemed  to 
be  gathering  pearls  by  the  roadside. 

With  much  expectation  one  morning  after  a  heavy  rain  we 
started  in  a  carriage  for  Bethlehem.  The  dragoman  and 
driver  were  on  the  seat  in  front  as  usual.  Our  carriage  was 
drawn  by  three  horses  hitched  abreast,  yet  two  good  Ameri- 
can horses  would  be  much  stronger.  Over  the  table  lands  to 
the  south  of  Jerusalem  our  course  lay,  with  green  grass 
springing  up  among  the  ever  present  rocks,  and  by  the  way- 
side. A  few  fig  trees,  now  and  then  a  garden,  occasionally  a 
pomegranate  tree,  and  many  stone  heaps  ar»d  walls  enclosing 
the  little  grain  fields,  yet  to  be  plowed  and  cultivated.  These 
were  the  main  features  of  the  country  about  us.  We  were 
traveling  over  the  plain  of  Rephaim  and  probably  not  far 
from  the  place  Sennacherib's  army  was  encamped  when  smit- 
ten by  the  destrojring  angel. 

Over  this  same  road  Abraham  led  his  son  on  his  way  to 
the  rock  on  Mount  Moriah,  like  a  lamb  to  slaughter.  In 
Genesis  we  read,  "And  Rachel  died  and  was  buried  in  the  way 
to  Ephrath  which  is  Bethlehem,  and  Jacob  set  a  pillar  upon 
her  grave."  This  occurred  nearly  four  thousand  years  ago 
on  this  very  road,  and  here  by  the  wayside  is  Rachel's  tomb, 
not  the  one  Jacob  set  up,  although  the  record  adds  it  was 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  207 

Still  there  when  Moses  wrote  the  book  of  Genesis.  The  tomb 
has  a  dome  and  is  of  Jewish  design,  probably  several  hundred 
years  old.  This  sacred  spot  is  about  a  mile  from  Bethlehem 
and  about  five  miles  from  Jerusalem. 

In  driving  to  Bethlehem  we  met  many  of  the  Bethlehem 
women  going  to  market  on  foot  to  Jerusalem.  There  is  some- 
thing very  remarkable  about  the  women  of  this  particular 
village,  as  they  are  good  looking,  stand  very  erect,  and  dress 
different  from  other  Arab  women.  At  any  time  in  Jerusalem 
we  could  pick  out  the  Bethlehem  women  from  the  great 
throngs  of  other  women. 

By  the  roadside,  also,  is  a  well  called  the  "Well  of  the 
Star,"  as  here  it  is  said  the  wise  men  found  the  star  again  to 
lead  them  to  the  place  of  our  Savior's  birth.  They  had  lost 
sight  of  the  star  as  they  stopped  in  Jerusalem  to  see  Herod. 
As  we  arrived  at  the  edge  of  Bethlehem  we  stopped  to  look 
into  the  well  that  three  of  David's  men  risked  their  lives  in 
order  to  get  David  a  drink  of  water,  because  they  heard  him 
say  he  was  thirsty. 

Down  the  narrow  streets  of  Bethlehem  we  drove,  where 
almost  all  the  population  make  shell  work  and  olive  wood 
rosaries,  cross  and  other  articles.  The  shell  work  is  beau- 
tiful, being  all  mother-of-pearl.  We  drove  to  the  church 
of  the  Nativity,  the  oldest  Christian  church  in  all  the  world, 
built  by  the  Empress  Helena  over  fifteen  hundred  years  ago. 
We  were  surprised  at  the  entrance  being  only  about  four 
and  one-half  feet  high,  and  only  a  little  wider  than  a  com- 
mon door.  It  is  said  that  the  main  entrance  is  made  smaller 
to  keep  the  Mohammedans  from  riding  in  on  horseback. 
The  church  is  jointly  occupied  by  the  Latins  (the  name  for 
Roman  Catholics  used  everywhere  in  Europe  and  Asia), 
Greeks  (the  Russian  national  church),  and  the  Armenians. 
The  church  is  just  about  surrounded  by  their  convent  look- 
ing buildings.  The  three  denominations  with  many  priests 
have  services  wherein  their  hours  are  divided  out  to  them 
by  the  Moslems,  and  stalwart  Mohammedan  soldiers  with 
clanking  swords  keeping  guard.    Otherwise  these  Christians 


208  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE  GLOBE. 

would  come  to  blows  with  each  other.  Each  part  of  the 
church  where  services  are  held  has  the  three  diflFerent  lots 
of  lamps  suspended,  and  each  denomination  uses  its  own 
lamps.  There  are  some  beautiful  columns  supporting  the 
old  cedar  roof,  and  it  may  be  some  of  them  did  service 
once  in  Solomon's  temple. 

Under  the  church  is  the  cave  or  grotto  where  Christ  was 
born.  We  walked  down  into  this  grotto  as  there  are  stone 
steps.  The  cave  is  about  forty  feet  long,  fifteen  feet  wide 
and  about  ten  feet  high.  In  the  center,  enclosed  as  a 
shrine,  and  in  a  blaze  of  light  from  fifteen  lamps  continually 
kept  burning  day  and  night,  is  a  silver  star  that  has  an  in- 
scription which  translated  from  the  Latin  as  it  is  written 
would  read,  "Here  of  the  Virgin  Mary  Jesus  Christ  was 
born."  What  a  hallowed  spot!  Yet  what  a  travesty  on 
Christianity   to   be    guarded   by    soldiers. 

Not  far  away  in  a  little  cell  hewn  out  of  the  rock  is 
where  in  the  early  centuries  Jerome  translated  the  Bible 
into  Latin,.     He  lived  and  died  there  and  we  saw  his  tomb. 

I  walked  to  the  rear  of  the  town.  Out  on  the  hillsides 
flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  under  the  care  of  shepherds  were 
still  there.  One  night  angels  visited  shepherds  like  these, 
weairing  their  sheepskin  coats  to  keep  warm  as  these  do  now. 
The  visit  was  made  to  several  shepherds  in  the  country 
around  Bethlehem.  They  were  afraid.  Do  you  wonder? 
I  think  everyone  of  us  today  would  be  afraid  if  an  angel 
visited  us  in  tangible  form.  The  angel  told  them  a  wonder- 
ful story  and  after  that  a  multitude  of  angels  came  suddenly 
and  sang  a  verse  that  men  have  been  trying  to  sing  after 
them  for  nineteen  hundred  years.  These  shepherds  (not 
having  their  faith  tangled  up  in  a  theological  school)  just 
believed  the  story  and  said  to  one  another,  "Let  us  now  go." 
The  record  adds  that  "they  came  with  haste."  I  have  no 
doubt  they  ran,  as  Oriental  people  do  now,  and  found  the 
story  true.  These  shepherds  told  everybody  they  saw  and 
men  went  "abroad"  to  tell  the  story  and  everybody  they 
told  it  to  "wondered." 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  SMM 

How  interesting  any  story  is  that  makes  people  wonder. 
Nobody  ever  goes  to  sleep  when  such  a  story  is  being  told. 
Over  the  same  road  we  traveled  on  to  Bethlehem,  the  wise 
men  from  the  east  came  bringing  their  costly  g^fts.  Nobody 
knows  what  country  they  came  from,  but  they  were  wise 
men,  having  wisdom  that  comes  from  God;  and  they  had 
seen  a  new  star.  More  than  likely  their  neighbors  laughed 
at  them  as  they  left  home,  with  all  their  gifts.  Yet  they 
were  simply  nature's  children  and  came  to  worship  nature's 
God,  the  one  that  created  all  things. 

There  is  a  hidden  chain  with  links  of  Love, 
Long  enough  to  reach  the  stars  above; 
Just  like  these  wise  men  from  the  East, 
You  can  catch  this  chain  with  simple  faith. 

Learn  from  the  lesson  one  of  its  conditions, 
To  bring  the  best  gifts  in  your  possession; 
Then  some  bright  star  will  lead  you  by  sight, 
Until  you,  too,  will  find  the  Saviour  some  night. 

Off  to  the  southeast  of  Bethlehem  are  some  beautiful, 
sloping  grain  fields,  not  far  away,  and  tradition  locates  these 
fields  as  the  place  where  Ruth  gleaned  after  the  reapers. 
Read  the  Book  of  Ruth,  that  beautiful  idyl  of  a  story,  so 
tender  and  touching,  yet  fully  Oriental  in  its  character. 

How  my  pulse  quickened  as  I  looked  at  all  the  sur- 
roundings of  Bethlehem.  Here  the  great  Creator  of  all 
things,  assumed  the  veil  of  humanity  in  order  that  we  might 
be  lifted  up.  As  we  rode  away  from  Bethlehem  we  passed 
on  to  the  south  about  six  miles  farther  to  see  the  three  great 
reservoirs  that  Solomon  built,  called  Solomon's  pool-s.  In 
one  of  them  is  a  sealed  fountain,  perhaps  the  one  he  sang 
about  in  his  songs.  Recently  the  water  from  these  pools 
has  been  piped  to  Jerusalem.  Probably  there  is  not  as  much 
water  as  in  Solomon's  time,  as  every  hill  and  mountain  is 
entirely  without  trees  or  bushes.  We  wanted  to  go  to 
Hebron,  but  cholera  was  there  and  at  these  pools  the  road 


210  A   CALfFORNIAN  CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

was  guarded,  preventing  us  from  going  any  farther.  As  we 
rode  back  to  Jerusalem  each  hour,  filled  with  association  and 
thought,  seemed  like  a  whole  day. 

We  hired  some  donkeys  one  day  and  with  our  dragoman 
started  to  ride  to  Gideon  and  Mizpeh.  These  places,  near 
together,  are  about  six  miles  from  Jerusalem  to  the  north- 
west. Passing  the  large  Russian  buildings  on  the  left  and 
taking  a  northerly  course  we  soon  came  to  the  Tombs  of 
the  Judges,  which  we  entered.  On  the  face  of  a  tail  limestone 
cliff  an  entrance  is  cut  into  the  rock,  and  then  another 
entrance  hid  by  stones  running  in  a  groove,  are  several 
chambers,  with  niches  for  tombs,  leading  from  them.  There 
are  uruderground  tombs  all  about  Jerusalem,  but  none  any 
where  more  extensive  than  these  are.  New  tombs  are  often 
discovered,  as  in  excavating  the  utmost  care  was  taken  to 
conceal  them.  Over  and  around  rock-ribbed  hills  our  course 
led  us  and  by  little  villages.  We  came  to  the  modern  place  of 
Neby  Samuel,  so  named  in  honor  of  the  prophet  Samuel. 
This  "high  place"  towers  above  all  other  hills  in  this  vicinity 
and  most  people  believe  it  is  Mizpeh.  We  were  a  long  time 
climbing  up  to  the  top  over  rocky  trails.  It  stands  3000  feet 
above  sea  level  and  commands  one  of  the  best  views  of  West- 
em  Palestine.  After  reaching  the  top  where  there  is  a  little 
village  we  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  Mohammedan  mosque,  up 
the  stairway  of  its  minaret,  after  paying  for  the  privilege. 
This  whole  section  of  Palestine  lay  spread  out  before  us.  At 
the  east  beyond  many  hills  and  valleys  and  over  the  Jordan 
were  the  mountains  of  Gilead  and  Moab.  On  the  south  were 
the  towers  and  domes  of  Jerusalem.  In  the  west  beyond  many 
rock-capped  hills  were  the  plains  of  Sharon  and  Philistia, 
and  in  the  far  distance  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Mount  Carmel 
and  Tabor  are  easily  seen  towards  the  north.  We  were  inter- 
ested in  looking  down  on  the  valley  of  Ajalon,  where  Joshua 
commanded  the  moon  to  stand  still  and  the  sun  over  Gideon 
and  the  record  adds,  "And  there  was  no  day  like  that  before 
it  or  after  it."  To  the  north  about  a  mile  on  a  beautiful  hill 
is  the  old  site  of  Gideon,  in  situation  and  surroundings  re- 


OFF     FOR    (;II5K()X 

FKOM  JERISALEM 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  211 

sembling  the  site  of  Shiloh.  We  drove  over  to  Gideon.  The 
hill  has  tiers  or  ledges  of  rock  encircling  it  on  about  the  same 
levels  and  then  a  strip  of  good  land  and  another  ridge  of 
rocky  ledge.  There  are  the  ruins  of  the  old  city  and  a  small 
Arab  village  on  its  top,  a  flattened  surface.  We  were  much 
interested  in  the  only  spring  of  water  and  the  traces  of  an  old 
reservoir  below  it.  It  was  here  that  twelve  men  sat  facing 
this  pool  and  rising  up  fought  a  duel  and  all  were  killed.  It 
was  at  Gideon  that  Solomon  had  a  dream  one  night  and  God 
appeared  to  him,  saying,  "Ask  what  I  shall  give  thee."  Solo- 
man  only  asked  for  "an  understanding  heart  to  judge  the 
people."  Because  he  asked  for  neither  riches  nor  honor  nor 
even  a  long  life,  God  heard  his  prayer  and  gave  him  great 
wisdom  and  also  riches  and  honor.  We  are  told  that  Solo- 
mon at  one  time  offered  one  thousand  burnt  offerings  an-d  the 
whole  valley  resounded  with  the  clang  of  "trumpets  and  cjmi- 
bals  and  musical  instruments  of  God."  It  was  at  the  high 
place,  probably  Mizpeh,  while  the  Israelites  were  assembled 
for  worship  at  the  invitation  of  Samuel  that  the  Philistines 
came  against  them  with  an  army  and  God  sent  a  great  thunder 
storm  and  the  Israelites  routed  them.  It  was  then  that  Samuel 
raised  up  a  stone  of  victory,  calling  it  Ebenezer,  "Hitherto 
hath  the  Lord  helped  us."  In  and  about  these  peaceful  looking 
valleys  and  rocky  hills  many  mighty  events  have  taken  place. 
It  was  near  sundown  as  we  took  another  road  back  to  Je- 
rusalem, the  direct  one  from  Gideon.  Every  little  while  we 
would  meet  groups  of  chattering  Arabs  returning  home  from 
Jerusalem;  anything  they  have  to  sell  the  women  carry  to 
market  on  their  heads,  or  if  too  bulky  the  men  pack  it  on 
donkeys  or  camels.  The  largest  caravan  of  camels  we  saw 
was  one  hundred  and  fifty,  coming  to  Jerusalem  one  day,  all 
loaded  with  raisins.  They  came  from  the  land  of  Hauran, 
beyond  the  Jordan.  It  was  after  7  o'clock,  with  only  the 
twinkling  stars  to  light  us  on  the  way  and  the  lonely  cry  of 
the  jackals  our  only  company  before  we  reached  Jerusalem. 
These  were  happy,  pleasant  days  for  me,  as  was  every  day  that 
I  rambled  in  and  about  this  city  so  full  of  interest  that  at 


212  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE   GLOSg. 

times  I  became  absorbed  in  thought;  so  lost  in  the  past,  that 
I  would  find  myself  humming  over  and  over  some  little  snatch 
of  a  song,  yet  my  real  self  and  every  impulse  v^as  far,  far 
avi^ay.  Ever  and  anon  there  comes  to  me  a  consciousness  that 
my  little  finite  mind  is  not  large  enough  to  contain  all  that 
I  see  and  hear;  yet  out  of  all  this  wealth  of  many  lands  and 
climes  I  am  gathering  many  rare  jewels  to  sparkle  and  shine 
my  entire  life  through.  Possession  is  always  much  more 
than  expectation. 

One  of  the  most  peculiar  places  in  Jerusalem  is  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchure.  To  Greeks,  Armenians,  Latins, 
Copts  and  Abysinians  who  occupy  tihis  church  with  continual 
daily  service  and  to  their  million's  of  followers,  this  church  is 
the  most  sacred  building  in  the  world.  Many  thousands  of  them, 
chiefly  from  Russia,  come  on  a  pilgrimage  each  year.  It  is  the 
event  of  their  lifetime,  taking  many  months  to  go  and  come, 
usually  arriving  in  Jerusalem  before  Christmas  and  staying 
long  after  Easter.  All  their  accumulated  savings  of  years  are 
used  on  this  pilgrimage  as  many  in  their  native  village,  who 
cannot  come,  will  expect  a  remembrance  from  the  Holy  Land 
on  their  return.  Near  the  entrance  of  the  church  is  a  marble 
slab,  where  they  believe  the  body  of  Jesus  was  laid,  and  one 
of  the  first  things  they  do  is  to  make  or  buy  a  burial  shroud 
as  long  as  this  piece  of  marble.  The  places  of  crucifixion, 
burial  and  resurrection  are  all  shown  in  this  church  as  the 
real  places.  Many  of  the  stones  on  these  sacred  spots  are 
kissed  smooth  by  these  pilgrims.  Mohammedan  soldiers 
stand  guard  over  all  these  services,  as  these  different  sects 
have  their  hours  of  service  arranged  for  them  by  the  Mos- 
lems. I  saw  several  of  these  services  and  in  most  of  them 
incense  was  used  and  their  zeal  and  devotion  was  very  marked. 
They  ascend  several  steps  to  the  place  of  crucifixion  and  show 
a  rent  in  some  rocks.  Every  Easter  they  enact  the  most  stu- 
pendous fraud  in  the  history  of  any  religion.  The  Latins  used 
to  be  in  the  arrangement  but  now  the  Greeks  alone.  It  is 
pretending  to  bring  down  holy  fire  from  heaven  and  these 
Russian  pilgrims  believe  it.    Many  costly  lamps  are  kept  burn- 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  213 

ing  and  gold  and  glitter  is  everywhere.  I  believe  the  place  of 
crucifixion  is  what  is  called  New  or  English  Calvary,  near 
the  Damascus  gate.  It  is  now  a  Mohammedan  cemetery,  a 
quiet  place,  and  the  one  where,  as  we  left  Jerusalem  the  grass 
was  greener  than  on  any  other  spot.  There  is  also  a  tomb  near, 
which  I  believe  to  be  the  very  tomb  and  place  of  the  resur- 
rection. It  is  near  the  spot  of  Jeremiah's  grotto,  where  it  is 
believed  he  wrote  the  book  of  Lamentations. 

While  in  Jerusalem  one  of  my  favorite  walks  was  over  the 
Kedron  valley  passing  by  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane  and  up 
to  the  crest  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Usually  we  started  from 
near  the  Jaffa  gate,  outside  of  the  walled  city,  wending  our 
way  through  streets  of  good  appearance  and  climbing  over 
the  hill  of  Calvary,  cautiously  treading  on,  around  and  over  the 
Mohammedan  graves,  then  through  the  Damascus  gate  into 
the  city  until  we  came  to  probably  the  most  historic  and 
interesting  street,  called  Via  Dolorosa,  or  "Way  of  Sorrows." 
It  is  only  a  little  narrow,  roughly  paved  street  running  to  the 
left  and  east  of  the  Damascus  gate,  yet  it  leads  out  to  St. 
Stephen's  gate,  the  only  gate  open  in  the  east  wall  facing 
Mount  Olivet. 

In  and  along  this  street  Jesus  was  taken  on  His  way  to 
Pilate's  judgment  hall,  and  to  His  crucifixion.  Probably  the 
original  street  was  many  feet  below  the  one  we  were  walking 
on,  yet  the  location  was  about  the  same.  We  went  into  a  Latin 
church  and  down  many  steps  by  the  side  and  under  this  street 
were  old  pavements  and  walls  that  may  have  been  there 
then.  Under  old  arches  and  by  the  side  of  convents  and  build- 
ings, with  only  an  occasional  doorway  and  grated  window 
in  their  prison-like  walls,  the  street  leads,  until  on  its  right 
are  the  Temple  grounds,  with  spacious  entrances  where  only 
Mohammedans  enter,  and  on  the  left  are  their  quarters. 

We  walked  out  of  the  city  at  St.  Stephen's  gate,  at  about  the 
spot  where  it  originally  was.  On  and  down  a  descending 
slope  of  about  three  huruked  yards,  then,  turning  to  the  right 
a  few  paces,  we  crossed  the  Kedron  on  a  bridge.  A  few  steps 
farther  is  the  present  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  enclosed  and 


214  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE    GLOBE. 

only  one  little  aperture  in  the  wall  for  an  entrance.  The  gar- 
den is  enclosed  with  an  iron  fence,  but  outside  of  the  fence 
and  within  the  outside  enclosure  is  a  walk  and  about  twelve 
shrines.  I  saw  Catholic  people  come  in  and  cross  themselves 
before  each  shrine  in  succession.  In  the  garden  I  counted  of 
each,  eight  large  cypress  and  olive  trees,  and  one  young  Mexi- 
can pepper  tree.  Oleanders  and  different  roses  filled  in  the 
spaces  about  the  different  walks. 

We  were  much  interested,  yet  we  knew  that  the  oldest 
of  these  trees  were  only  a  few  hundred  years  old,  as  Titus, 
when  he  destroyed  Jerusalem,  cut  all  the  trees  off  from  the 
slopes  of  Olivet  and  the  Crusaders  found  none  in  their  time. 
The  largest  olive  tree  I  judged  to  be  about  seven  feet  in  diam- 
eter, probably  planted  in  Crusading  times.  The  ascent  of  Ol- 
ivet is  very  steep,  along  a  narrow  lane,  with  walls  of  either 
buildings  or  loose  stone  most  of  the  way.  We  sat  under  the 
shade  of  some  olive  trees  about  two-thirds  of  the  distance  up 
the  slope  and  picked  up  several  pieces  of  mosaic  pavement 
lying  on  the  surface. 

Here  is  the  best  view  of  Jerusalem,  as  it  is  a  near  one  and 
on  about  the  same  level.  Not  far  from  the  place  we  sat 
Jesus  told  his  disciples  of  the  destruction  of  the  Temple  and 
Jerusalem,  a  prophecy  that  was  completely  fulfilled  a  few 
years  later.  As  we  neared  the  top  we  came  to  an  Arab  village, 
which  is  not  visible  from  Jerusalem.  Passing  around  the  vil- 
lage we  enter  a  gate  and  are  in  some  large  grounds,  where 
church,  chapels  and  some  houses,  also  a  stone  tower  about 
two  hundred  feet  high,  are  seen,  and  a  grove  of  cypress  trees. 
This  property  belongs  to  the  Russians,  and,  being  a  little  over 
the  summit  and  toward  Bethany,  cannot  be  far  from  the 
spot  where  Jesus  flew  away  to  heaven  one  day. 

Hunting  up  a  Russian  priest  who  had  a  key  to  the  tower, 
which  is  like  all  the  keys  in  Palestine,  of  tremendous  size,  we 
climbed  its  stairway,  passing  several  bells,  to  the  top  platform. 
We  lingered  long  on  this  tower's  top,  to  catch  the  wondrous 
view  from  this  sacred  spot.  Nearly  four  thousand  feet  below 
us  and  seemingly  not  far  away,  yet  in  distance  about  thirteen 


TRAVELING    IN    PALESTINE.  215 

miks,  is  the  mystic,  shining  surface  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  the 
plains  to  the  north  of  it,  where  it  is  quite  certain  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  once  stood.  To  the  south  are  the  hills  of  Bethle- 
hem, yet  that  village  is  not  in  sight  and  the  one  object  that 
arrests  your  attention  is  a  mountain  about  ten  miles  away, 
unlike  any  other  in  Palestine.  The  top  alone  is  visible,  pyra- 
midical  in  shape,  with  the  top  flattened  out.  This  mountain's 
top  is  artificial  and  was  constructed  by  Herod,  who  built  a 
palace  and  fortress  there,  with  only  one  stairway  of  hewn 
stone.  At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  many  other  palaces  were 
built  with  gardens,  and  Herod  named  the  place  Paradise.  This 
is  the  Herod  whom  men  call  "Great,"  the  one  who  slew  the 
children  at  Bethlehem,  who  died  in  his  winter  palace  at  Jeri- 
cho and  was  buried  with  much  pomp  on  this  mountain  about 
four  miles  southeast  of  Bethlehem. 

There  is  not  a  more  striking  view  on  this  earth  than  from 
this  tower,  where  one  can  see  the  places  where  the  greatest 
events  connected  with  the  history  of  mankind  have  taken 
place.  Some  large,  fleecy  clouds  were  slowly  drifting  across 
the  azure  sky  above,  and  I  wondered  if  those  were  the  same 
kind  of  cloud  that  recedved  the  Saviour  as  He  ascended.  Just 
beyond,  not  far  away,  the  village  of  Bethany  lay  with  a  quiet, 
restful  look.  As  I  turned  to  descend,  large,  dark-looking 
storm  clouds  began  to  gather  out  on  the  Mediterranean.  The 
wind  veered  to  the  southwest,  coming  cold  and  chilly,  filling 
the  air  with  that  peculiar,  resonant  sound  usually  preceding  a 
rainstorm.  The  clouds  overcast  the  sky,  yet  to  the  east  be- 
yond the  Jordan  the  mountains  of  Moab  and  Gilead  were 
bathed  in  sunshine,  and  down  on  the  Dead  Sea  little  rippling 
waves,  sparkling  in  the  sunlight,  were  merrily  chasing  each 
other,  as  they  were  pushed  onward  by  a  soft  summer  breeze. 
Every  light  has  a  shadow,  every  life  has  some  sorrow,  and 
I  would  not  that  it  were  otherwise. 

Hastily  we  returned  to  our  hotel,  being  just  in  time  to  es- 
cape the  impending  storm.  As  often  as  I  call  to  mind  the 
last  time  I  gazed  around  from  Olivet,  I  think  of  what  those 
two  angels  said,  dressed  in  white  and  looking  like  men,  as  re- 


218  A  CALIFORNIAN    CiRCLfNG   THC   GLOBS. 

corded  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  I  was 
not  there  nearly  nineteen  hundred  years  ago  to  see  a  cloud 
feceive  Jesus  Christ  as  He  flew  away  to  heaven,  but  some  day, 
according  to  what  these  two  angels  said.  He  will  come  back 
in  the  same  way  and  I  shall  see  Him.    (I  Thess.  4:16-17). 

One  morning  in  the  bright  sunshine,  after  a  heavy  rain  dur- 
ing the  night,  we  walked  around  the  walled  city  outside  of  the 
Walls.  We  saw  scores  of  Arab  women  picking  up  from  the  slop- 
ing banks  of  the  valleys  encircling  three  sides  of  Jerusalem, 
bits  of  broken  pottery,  as  everywhere  the  ground  near  the 
walls  and  down  into  the  valleys  is  full  of  it.  They  grind  it 
by  rolling  a  large  rock  over  it  until  it  is  ground  very  fine, 
using  it  to  mix  with  cement  for  facing  on  walls.  They  find 
many  old  coins  which  they  ofF^r  for  sale. 

Another  day  we  went  about  a  mile  southwest  of  Jerusalem 
and  with  art  old  hoe  and  pick  started  to  find  some  tombs. 
Missing  an  American  shovel,  which  no  one  seems  to  have  of 
tise,  our  courage  and  search  soon  ended.  Everybody  in  Pales- 
tine as  he  completes  any  arrangement  with  another  utters  a 
peculiar  saying:  "It  is  finished."  When  fruit  of  any  kind  is 
over  they  say  the  same  words.  In  no  other  country  do  we 
hear  the  words,  yet  so  often  used  in  and  all  over  Palestine. 
How  wonderful  that  these  last  words  of  our  Saviour  on  the 
Cross  should  be  continually  used  in  that  country  now. 


VII. 

tight  Mundrei  MiUtt  up  the  %le 


Missionaries  in  Jerusalem  not  being  allowed  to  hold  street 
meetings  and  surrounded  with  so  much  form  and  ceremony 
in  the  so-called  Christian  churches,  have  a  hard  field.  Their 
efforts  are  apparently,  almost,  fruitless  among  the  adults, 
yet  there  are  a  faithful  few.  Most  of  their  effort  is  concen- 
trated in  teaching  and  training  bands  of  children.  I  attended 
the  Church  of  England  services  near  the  tomb  of  David  on 
Mount  Zion.  One  Sunday  morning  as  I  took  a  seat  near  the 
door,  the  sexton  came  to  me  and  said,  "Come  ye  up  higher, 
there  is  plenty  of  room."  How  wonderfully  applicable  that 
little  simple  invitation  of  the  Sexton  is  to  everybody,  either 
in  a  religious  or  business  life.  During  the  services,  Turkish 
soldiers  across  the  street  stationed  in  a  citadel,  blew  signal 
calls  on  a  bugle.  In  the  morning  at  about  sunrise,  we  drove 
to  the  station  to  take  a  train  to  Jaffa  as  we  wanted  to  take 
ship  to  Egypt.  When  it  came  time  for  the  train  to  start  the 
ticket  seller  had  not  arrived,  therefore  the  train  waited.  After 
a  long  delay  he  arrived  and  a  dozen  or  so  passengers  got  their 
tickets.  We  were  the  only  first-class  passengers  on  the  train, 
and  just  before  starting  a  Turkish  official  said  to  us  as  he 
peered  in  one  of  the  windows,  "Are  you  English  or  Ameri- 
can?" A«  the  train  rolled  away,  we  looked  back  to  catch 
one  more  glimpse  of  this  strange  city,  so  unlike  any  other  in 
the  world.  Nearly  every  family  is  provided  with  a  cistern 
to  fill  with  rain  water  in  the  winter,  as  it  is  about  the  only 
supply  of  water  for  the  entire  year.     The  annual  rainfall  is 


218  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   QLOBE. 

over  30  inches.  It  is  a  country  of  thorns — nearly  all  the 
weeds  are  thorny.  A  gentleman  went  out  one  morning  from 
Jerusalem  and  gathered  thirty-two  different  species  of  thorns. 
The  climate  is  trying,  and  one  is  subject  to  fever.  There  are 
no  berries.  No  one  raises  them,  and  strawberries  and  black- 
berries are  never  seen  in  the  market.  We  were  soon  ab- 
sorbed in  the  outlook  from  our  car  windows.  Villages  perched 
on  the  mountains  and  hills.  Our  course  followed  the  ravines, 
with  a  continual  descending  grade  for  the  first  few  miles,  not 
a  bush  or  tree  in  sight  natural  to  the  country — all  cut  for 
wood.  A  few  olive  orchards,  some  fig  and  pomegranate  trees 
and  grape  vines  growing  near  the  villages. 

About  five  miles  from  Jerusalem  we  came  to  the  quarantine 
station,  where  just  twenty-five  are  allowed  to  come  on  the 
train  from  Jaffa  every  ten  days.  Most  of  them  were  in  tents 
and  as  the  train  men  took  off  their  supplies,  they  were  very 
careful  to  just  leave  them  on  the  ground,  so  they  could  come 
for  them,  yet  they  had  no  cholera.  Some  of  these  quaran- 
tined people  were  Russian  pilgrims.  As  we  began  to  approach 
the  Plain  of  Philistia,  some  wood  was  seen  on  the  mountains 
in  the  form  of  brush,  with  more  wood  in  the  roots  than  in 
the  tree.  The  train  came  to  a  sudden  stop — the  engineer  only 
halted  to  oil  the  locomotive.  I  saw  men  plowing  with  camels, 
one  camel  hitched  to  each  plow,  and  also  many  oxen.  These 
plains  are  very  rich,  free  from  stone  and  some  of  the  soil  is 
red  loom. 

We  soon  came  to  Ramleh,  a  village  of  about  three  thousand 
people,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  sandy,  fertile  plain.  There 
are  many  old  olive  groves  and  I  saw  one  large  grove  of  small 
olive  trees  and  also  many  tall  cactus  fences.  We  saw  soldiers 
and  tents  with  a  cordon  thrown  out  on  each  road,  as  this  vil- 
lage and  all  others  toward  Jaffa  or  Gaza  are  quarantined. 
Twelve  per  cent  of  the  population  of  these  villages  had  died 
of  cholera  in  about  six  weeks.  This  plain  was  once  densely 
populated,  as  the  Palestine  Exploration  Society  are  excavat- 
ing near  here  and  report  finding  the  ruins  of  many  ancient 
cities.    A  few  miles  farther  and  we  came  to  Lydda,  or  ancient 


EIGHT   HUNDRED   MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  219 

Ludd,  beautifully  situated  in  this  rich  plain,  but  now  strangely 
silent  and  closely  guarded.  To  the  north,  as  far  as  we  could 
see,  lies  the  beautiful  plains  of  Sharon,  and  Solomon  sang 
about  the  beauty  of  the  "rose  of  Sharon."  This  ancient  place 
was  one  of  the  first  cities  the  Israelites  built  after  occupying 
the  "Promised  Land."  It  was  here  that  Peter  healed  the  pal- 
sied man  ^neas,  and  when  Dorcas  died  in  Jaffa,  Peter  was  in 
Lydda,  eleven  miles  away,  and  being  sent  for,  he  hastened  over 
this  distance  and  surprised  these  disciples  of  Jaffa,  by  bringing 
Dorcas  to  life  again.  There  are  many  palm  trees  about  these 
villages.  The  manufacture  of  soap  here  and  at  Ramleh  has 
been  carried  on  many  centuries  and  there  are  heaps  of  ashes 
piled  on  the  plain  and  as  a  result  nearly  every  person's  eyes 
are  afflicted,  many  persons  blind  or  nearly  so.  As  we  ap- 
proached Jaffa,  we  passed  through  many  orange  groves,  the 
trees  hanging  full  of  fruit,  much  of  it  well  colored.  I  was 
surprised  to  see  them  planted  only  about  ten  feet  apart  and 
very  little  cultivation.  Upon  our  arrival  at  the  station  we 
were  ushered  into  a  carriage  and  driven  to  a  German  hotel, 
where  no  cholera  existed  as  with  other  hotels  and  residents  of 
about  a  block;  they  keep  guard  night  and  day,  keeping  most 
of  the  people  out  and  off  from  the  enclosed  block.  No 
steamer  had  yet  arrived  that  would  take  passengers  to  Egypt. 
We  were  in  a  town  where  about  one  every  hour  was  dying  of 
cholera.  It  was  a  new  and  strange  situation  for  us  to  volun- 
tarily enter  a  cholera-infected  city,  yet  in  order  to  get  around 
the  world  we  must  travel  and  we  saw  no  other  way  of  get- 
ting out  of  Palestine.  No  steamer  would  take  any  passengers 
to  the  north  and  it  was  too  cold  and  stormy  to  camp  north 
to  Beirout — besides  a  probable  quarantine  of  ten  days.  Had 
we  attempted  camping  overland  into  Egypt  it  would  have  taken 
camels,  on  account  of  long  stretches  of  desert  without  water, 
and  more  than  likely  a  quarantine  and  much  trouble  in  passing 
the  frontier.  Camels  can  go  about  eight  days  without  water 
and  sometimes  longer. 

The   next   morning   I   arose   early   and   climbed   upon  the 
housetop.     No   steamer  in   sight.     It  was   Sunday,   and  the 


220  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

weather  was  mild  and  warm — very  different  from  Jerusalem. 
With  orange  trees  all  about  laden  with  fruit,  the  best  at  this 
season  of  any  in  the  world,  and  mild,  soft,  summer  breezes 
gently  swaying  the  tree  tops,  and  a  greater  abundance  of 
flowers  than  any  yet  seen,  forgetting  the  other  features  of  our 
situation,  it  seemed  like  our  sunny  southland  of  California. 
I  attended  the  English  church  in  the  enclosure,  where  not 
more  than  a  score  were  present.  The  preacher  prayed  that 
the  pestilence  might  be  stayed;  did  not  forget  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  and  preached  a  fairly  good  sermon.  The 
rest  of  the  day  I  passed  in  a  quiet,  restful  way,  yet  at  times 
I  found  myself  musing  upon  the  "immutabilities  of  life."  At 
sunset  I  again  ascended  to  the  housetop,  scanning  the  horizon 
seaward  for  our  steamer.  None  in  sight,  therefore  I  watched 
the  sun  as  it  dipped  behind  the  blue  rolling  waves  of  the 
Mediterranean,  listened  to  the  talking  of  the  birds  as  they 
hunted  for  their  resting  places  in  neighboring  treetops,  and 
watched  the  after  sunset  glow  of  the  sun,  as  it  wound  its 
brilliant  color  over  sea,  land  and  sky.  I  never  tire  of  sunrise 
or  sunset  and  always  find  that  there  is  a  pulse  within  my  soul, 
to  catch  something  of  their  glow,  a  beauty  that  satisfies,  where 
nothing  else  will  do.  As  I  climbed  down  from  the  housetop, 
the  crickets  took  up  their  song  with  its  refrain,  thus  every 
creature  has  a  part  and  place  to  fill. 

Tuesday  morning  came,  still  no  steamer,  yet  about  eight 
o'clock  we  received  word  our  steamer  was  coming  in  and  a 
request  that  we  go  on  board  at  once  as  the  barometer  was 
falling,  and  the  westerly  wind  was  increasing.  We  lost  no 
time  in  getting  a  porter  who  carried  all  our  baggage,  and  buy- 
ing an  embarkation  ticket  we  walked  for  the  fir&t  time  out 
into  the  cholera  part  of  the  town  to  embark.  It  seemed  strange 
that  in  the  oldest  seaport  in  the  world  it  should  be  so  diffi- 
cult to  get  on  board  a  ship  when  a  wind  is  blowing.  We  found 
a  large  boat  manned  by  several  stalwart  oarsmen  and  we  em- 
barktd.  Singing  a  sort  of  a  song  in  unison,  they  carried  us 
safely  through  a  break  in  the  reef  where  large  waves  were 
rolling,  to  the  steamer,  where  we  climbed  on  board,  with  our- 


EIGHT   HUNDRED   MILES  UP  THE  NILE.  221 

selves  an<i  baggage  entirely  dry.  Yet  the  wind  was  increas- 
ing each  moment.  There  were  many  barges  alongside  laden 
with  boxes  of  oranges,  and  the  ship  was  receiving  their  car- 
goes. The  wind  rapidly  increased  and  by  noon  it  was  diflBcult 
to  receive  either  passengers  or  oranges.  A  few  passengers 
came  at  this  time  and  the  women  screamed  in  terror  as  they 
were  lifted  aboard,  thrown  and  caught  like  blocks  of  wood, 
some  of  their  baggage  dropped  into  the  sea.  Some  of  the 
barges  were  dropping  their  oranges  into  the  sea,  as  the  ship 
could  not  take  them.  Finally  after  hundreds  of  boxes  were 
cast  adrift  that  way  two  large  barge  loads  yet  remained  and 
they  too  cast  the  entire  lot  of  those  fine  oranges  into  the  sea. 
The  ship  could  take  no  more  and  the  barges  could  not  return 
to  land  laden  as  they  were.  The  boxes  did  not  sink,  but  went 
drifting  up  the  coast,  jumping  up  and  down  on  those  huge 
waves.  The  steamer  blew  its  whistle,  hove  its  anchor,  and 
hurried  away  while  the  barges  were  left  to  make  their  way  to 
land.  As  far  as  I  could  see  they,  too,  drifted  to  the  north  in 
trying  to  land.  While  in  Joppa  I  did  not  visit  Simon,  the  tan- 
ner's house.  Cholera  was  very  bad  in  that  part  of  the  town 
and  I  thought  it  unwise  to  run  unnecessary  risk.  Besides,  I 
very  much  doubt  if  the  original  house  of  Simon  is  there. 

As  Joppa  retreated  in  the  distance  I  thought  of  Peter's 
vision,  where  a  sheet  was  let  down  from  heaven  full  of  ani- 
mals, clean  and  unclean,  creeping  things  and  birds.  This 
port  is  where  Jonah  found  a  ship  going  to  Tarshish,  paid  his 
fare  and  sailed  away,  nearly  three  thousand  years  ago.  You 
all  know  the  story,  how  God  prepared  a  great  fish  to  swim 
after  him,  and  finding  Jonah  in  the  depths  of  the  sea,  with  his 
head  all  wrapped  up  with  weeds,  so  that  he  would  not 
drown,  he  just  swallowed  Jonah  whole.  Probably  the  fish 
was  very  hungry  and  this  bunch  of  sea  weeds  was  just  his 
sort  of  food,  and  like  many  people  who  eat  fast  and  swallow 
things  whole,  had  indigestion  and  was  sick,  so  God,  after 
three  days  and  three  nights,  giving  Jonah  plenty  of  time  to 
pray  and  repent,  as  Jonah  said  he  was  in  "the  belly  of  hell," 
spoke  to  the  sick  fish  and  it  poked  its  nose  up  on  the  seashore 


222  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

and  hove  Jonah  out  on  the  land.  It  is  quite  likely  that  the  fish 
died  at  that  time,  having  indigestion  so  long,  as  in  the  last 
century  B.  C.  the  remains  of  some  large  fish  was  discovered 
near  Joppa,  and  was  taken  to  Rome  by  a  man  named  Marcus 
Scaurus.  Its  backbone  measured  eighteen  inches  in  diameter, 
and  the  monster  was  forty  feet  long.  The  storm  increased, 
and  towards  evening  the  waves  were  the  largest  I  ever  saw. 
The  ship  creaked  in  every  joint,  and  trembled  like  an  aspen 
leaf,  and  while  we  were  being  tempest  tossed  and  as  I  was 
watching  the  tremendous  waves  I  said  to  Elmer,  "This  is  the 
same  sea  and  something  like  the  storm  Jonah  found  when  he 
sailed."  He  replied,  "Yes,  but  I  am  afraid  if  this  ship  goes 
down  there  are  no  whales  here  ready  to  swallow  us."  All 
night  long  the  stormy  winds  continued,  with  occasional 
dashes  of  rain.  We  were  leaving  Palestine,  after  several 
weeks  of  travel  in  the  land.  We  found  its  people  still  living  as 
in  Bible  times,  purposely  kept  so  by  Providence  and  prophecy 
in  order  that  the  people  and  the  Book  may  agree.  More  than 
we  expected  had  been  realized.  Our  dreams  had  become  real- 
ities, hope  had  centered  into  fruition,  until  we  could  now  say 
"We  too,  have  seen  a  goodly  part  of  the  Promised  Land."  In 
the  morning  we  found  the  storm  abating  and  with  much  in- 
terest we  watched  our  approach  to  Port  Said,  as  we  saw 
other  ships  coming  and  going  from  that  port.  Having  read 
about  the  great  heat,  we  were  surprised  at  the  cool  wind,  so 
decidedly  chilly.  Just  before  noon  the  ship  cast  her  anchors. 
We  were  still  in  sight  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  entrsincc 
is  really  the  beginning  of  the  Suez  Canal.  No  one  was  al- 
lowed to  land,  as  we  must  go  to  Alexandria  and  be  quaran- 
tined. I  noticed  the  ship  had  long  ropes  tied  to  the  piers  on 
shore,  and  they  slipped  conical  pieces  of  tin  over  each  rope  in 
order  that  no  rats  could  come  from  the  shore  and  bring  on 
board  the  bubonic  plague.  All  the  afternoon  our  ship  was 
discharging  cargo  and  we  were  interested  in  looking  at  other 
ships.  A  P.  &  O.  steamer  sailed  for  India.  Another  ship 
coming  from  England  the  day  before  sailed  for  Australia.  A 
Russian  ship  from  the  far  east  came  through  the  canal  flying 


EIGHT  HUNDRED   MILES  UP  THE   NILE.  223 

a  double  quarantine  flag,  simply  meaning  they  wanted  no  com- 
munication except  to  take  in  coal,  as  all  ships  take  coal  at 
this  port.  The  coaling  is  done  from  a  lighter,  by  a  long  string 
of  Arabs,  who  carry  the  coal  into  the  ship  in  baskets  on  their 
heads.  About  7  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  sailed  for  Alexan- 
dria, and  I  watched  the  revolving  light  house.  This  was  the 
fourth  ship  we  had  sailed  in  on  the  Mediterranean,  an  Aus- 
trian one.  About  noon,  the  next  day,  we  entered  the  harbor 
of  Alexandria.  A  doctor  came  on  board  and  everybody  was 
examined.  Yet  the  ship  was  declared  in  quarantine  for  three 
days.  Anchors  were  dropped,  guard  was  established,  and  we 
were  to  wait  and  see  if  anybody  had  cholera  germs  that 
would  manifest  themselves  during  this  time;  meanwhile  we 
could  look  at  Pompey's  pillar.  Every  morning  several  ships 
came  into  port,  and  every  afternoon  and  evening  several  would 
sail  out,  as  Alexandria  is  a  large  city.  It  is  the  principal  port 
and  the  main  outlet  of  Egyptian  commerce.  One  evening  an 
American  gunboat  sailed  away,  flying  a  very  long  pennant, 
signifying  that  it  was  returning  home  with  its  term  of  ser- 
vice ended.  Two  English  ships  came  in  one  morning  loaded 
with  troops.  One  ship  sailed  for  Manchester,  England,  loaded 
with  the  largest  cargo  of  cotton  that  ever  sailed  away  from 
Egypt — 11,084  bales.  One  day  at  i  o'clock  all  were  excited 
as  the  time  had  arrived  to  be  released  from  quarantine.  Two 
doctors  came  on  a  barge  with  a  fumigating  machine.  All  the 
deck  passengers  were  taken  on  the  barge,  as  all  their  lug- 
gage must  be  passed  through  the  fumigator.  The  first  and 
second-class  passengers  were  lined  up  and  one  by  one  we 
passed,  the  doctors  simply  feeling  of  our  pulses.  The  ship 
then  sailed  into  the  inner  harbor,  we  stepped  ashore,  hired 
a  carriage  and,  passing  the  custom  house  and  showing  our 
passports,  were  soon  in  a  hotel,  free  once  more.  Three  times 
we  have  been  let  out  of  quarantine,  and  the  most  singular 
part  of  it  all  is  that  each  time  our  liberation  occurred  on 
Sunday. 

Toward  evening  we  took  a  walk  to  Pompey's  Pillar,  stand- 
ing like  a  sentinel  for  nearly  two  thousand  years,  since  its 


224  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

erection.  It  is  said  to  be  the  "largest  monolith  in  the 
world."  One  round  column  or  pillar  of  reddish  colored 
granite  is  almost  one  hundred  feet  tall  and  ten  feet  in  diam- 
eter. It  came  from  the  granite  quarries  of  Assouan,  about 
eight  hundred  miles  up  the  Nile.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  cap, 
and  for  its  base  lias  a  square  block  of  granite  of  enormous 
size.  It  is  the  only  one  of  Alexandria's  ancient  monuments 
or  pillars  left.  One  of  the  greatest  light-houses  ever  erected, 
once  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  ancient  world,  stood  in  this 
city.  It  was  550  feet  high  and  threw  its  light  one  hundred 
miles  out  to  sea  to  light  the  wayfaring  mariner  into  this 
great  city  that  Alexandra  founded.  Not  a  vestige  of  this 
lighthouse  remains.  It  seemed  singular  that  we  were  quar- 
antined in  the  harbor  for  fear  of  cholera  when  a  recrudes- 
cence of  the  cholera  was  in  the  city,  several  deaths  occurring 
each  day.  There  were  300,000  cases  in  Egypt  during  the 
summer  and  fall,  so  virulent  that  eighty-five  per  cent  of  them 
were  fatal. 

Almost  the  first  thing  I  noticed  in  entering  the  city  was 
some  beautiful  poinsettias,  some  of  the  stalks  twenty  feet  high, 
in  bloom.  I  saw  none  in  Italy  or  Palestine.  What  a  mottled 
throng  of  people  of  all  sorts,  yet  Northern  Africa  has  very 
few  negroes.  The  next  morning,  not  caring  to  stay  in  the 
cholera-stricken  city,  we  purchased  railroad  tickets  to  Cairo, 
and  took  the  first  train,  a  distance  of  about  150  miles.  Pass- 
ing a  salt  lake  we  soon  came  to  the  best  farming  land  in  the 
world,  the  "Delta  of  the  Nile"  There  are  many  villages 
made  of  sun-dried  brick,  and  thatched  with  corn  stalks,  and 
much  of  the  land  is  used  in  cotton-growing.  The  cotton 
stalks  the  farmers  pull  up  and  gather  for  their  year's  sup- 
ply of  fuel,  usually  piling  them  on  top  of  the  house.  There 
are  many  cattle  herded  by  the  boys  and  girls,  and  the  coun- 
try roads  are  full  of  these  people,  either  going  to  or  return- 
ing from  market.  There  are  a  few  acacia  trees  along  the 
roads,  but  none  in  the  fields.  We  met  several  trainloads  of 
cotton.  About  the  villages  were  a  few  orange  trees,  nearly  all 
of  them  of  the  mandarin  variety,  and  very  fine  eating.    Just 


EIGHT  HUNDRED   MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  225 

a  little  after  noon  as  the  train  was  ambling  along  I  heard 
Elmer  exclaim :  "Look,  there  are  the  pyramids."  Looking 
in  the  direction  he  indicated,  I  saw  the  two  large  ones  at 
Gizeh,  about  eight  miles  from  Cairo.  They  loomed  up  like 
mountains  in  height,  yet  their  rigid,  straight  outlines  were 
unlike  any  real  mountain.  We  were  looking  at  them  many 
miles  away.  How  closely  my  attention  was  riveted  to  them 
as  I  anticipated  climbing  the  largest  one.  We  were  really 
in  E^pt,  a  land  full  of  mystery  and  romance,  the  oldest 
country  in  the  world  that  has  a  history  of  civilization  and 
progress.  Her  history  was  written  by  Manetho,  285  B.  C, 
Egypt's  only  historian  in  the  distant  past.  But  all  of  his 
writings  are  lost  and  all  we  know  of  them  has  been  handed 
down.  History  and  prophecy  include  Egypt,  yet  her  monu- 
ments and  tombs  are  unfolding  a  record  that  reaches  back 
to  the  very  dawn  of  creation.  Our  train  entered  a  large 
station.  We  alighted  and  took  a  carriage  to  a  hotel.  We 
were  in  the  largest  city  in  Africa,  full  of  Mohammedan 
mosques,  large,  wide  European  looking  streets  and  people 
in  them  of  all  kinds  and  colors.  At  every  corner  some 
Arab  wants  to  sell  you  scarabs,  having  some,  as  he  claims, 
from  the  oldest  tombs  in  the  country.  Again,  as  in  Alex- 
andria, I  saw  very  large  poinsettias  full  of  blossoms,  each 
stalk  bending  under  its  weight  of  crimson  stars,  some  of 
them  twenty  inches  in  diameter.  Many  of  the  streets  are  in- 
terlaced with  large  acacia  or  sycamore  trees,  all  in  full 
leaf,  looking  like  tunnels  arched  over  with  green  boughs. 
Today,  December  i,  the  Mohammedan  fast  of  Ramadan  be- 
gan, to  last  an  entire  lunar  month.  The  people  neither  eat, 
drink  or  smoke  anything  from  sunrise  until  sunset.  In  most 
of  the  towns  and  cities  criers  go  along  the  streets  about  mid- 
night to  wake  the  people  up  in  order  that  they  may  eat, 
sometimes  using  an  old  drum. 

One  morning  we  started  in  a  carriage  with  a  dragoman 
to  visit  the  old  site  of  Heliopolis,  about  ten  miles  north  of 
Cairo,  once  known  as  the  "City  of  the  Sun,"  so  called  by  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  and  this  name  is  several  times  mentioned 


226  A  CALIFORNiAN   CIRCLINQ  THE   QLOBB. 

in  the  Bible.  We  rode  out  a  wide,  fine-looking  street,  lead- 
ir^  to  and  by  the  Khedive's  country  palace.  Some  well-kept 
gardens  surrounded  the  elegant  homes,  with  thickets  of  pome- 
granates and  oleanders;  bananas  with  long  pendant  bunches 
of  fruit,  and  some  orange,  lemon  and  lime  trees,  with  their 
fruit  interspersed  among  the  leaves  and  branches.  The 
weather  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  with  a  cool  north  wind 
blowing,  and  flecks  of  fleecy  clouds,  almost  transparent,  and 
hanging  like  banners  'between  us  and  the  azure  blue  of 
heaven.  Passing  by  some  large  government  barracks,  we 
paused  to  see  native  Egyptian  troops  in  their  military  drilL 
Over  this  road,  or  some  other  running  parallel,  Joseph  rode 
in  his  golden  chariot  as  the  two  noted  cities  of  Lower  Egypt, 
Memphis  and  On,  were  only  about  thirty  miles  apart.  Pass- 
ing by  the  Khedive's  summer  palace,  we  notice  the  Egyptian 
flag  flying,  which  always  denotes  that  he  is  present,  as  most 
every  afternoon  he  is  driven  in  a  carriage  to  Cairo,  with 
outriders  and  footmen  in  attendance,  then  the  flag  is  taken 
down  during  his  absence.  I  wondered  what  part  of  the  pal- 
ace his  harem  was  situated  in,  where  its  occupants  pass  the 
time  sipping  delightsome  "delights"  clad  in  costumes  of  fan- 
ciful color,  and  wearing  silk-embroidered  slippers.  We  drove 
into  a  yard  where  there  is  a  sycamore  (wild  fig)  tree,  said 
to  be  the  one  that  Joseph  and  Mary  rested  under  as  they 
fled  from  Bethlehem  to  Egypt.  It  is  scarcely  three  hundred 
years  old,  yet  in  all  these  countries  some  old  venerable  tree 
is  associated  with  some  historic  event.  Trees,  like  folks, 
get  old  and  die,  as  the  predecessor  of  this  tree  did  in  1665, 
A.  D.  A  spring  of  water  in  the  same  yard  connected  with 
the  same  tradition  and  said  to  be  the  only  sweet  water  in 
this  vicinity,  is  quite  likely  the  well  Joseph  and  his  family 
drank  from,  as  wells  or  springs  of  water  have  continual 
life.  We  soon  came  to  the  site  of  Heliopolis,  and  only  one 
monument  of  all  its  splendor  is  still  standing.  It  is  66  feet 
high  and  about  six  and  one-half  feet  square  at  the  bottom. 
We  walked  around  it.  It  is  of  red  granite  and  was  quarried 
at  Assouan,  about  650  miles  up  the  Nile.    It  is  obelisk  in 


EIGHT  HUNDRED   MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  227 

form  and  each  of  its  four  sides  are  covered  with  hierogly- 
phics. At  the  top  of  all  the  inscriptions  on  each  side  is  the 
figure  of  a  hawk.  It  is  the  oldest  obelisk  in  the  world. 
Moses  saw  it ;  Joseph,  when  ruler  over  Egypt,  saw  it,  as 
here  at  this  city  of  On  he  married  the  daughter  of  one  of 
the  priests  of  the  temple.  A  few  steps  north  we  saw  some 
of  the  foundation  stones  of  this  great  and  at  one  time  match- 
less Temple  of  the  Sun,  said  to  cover  three  acres,  and  we 
walked  over  a  portion  of  it,  rich  in  ruins  of  pottery  and 
glass. 

Toward  the  north  we  could  look  for  miles  out  on  the 
beautiful  and  fertile  "Land  of  Goshen."  At  one  time  this 
city  with  its  palaces,  monuments,  obelisks  and  its  great 
temples,  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  cities  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  The  worship  of  the  sun,  because  it  was  the 
greatest  and  strangest  object  in  range  of  moral  vision,  seemed 
to  attract  these  ancient  people.  Even  in  these  modern  days 
everybody  in  every  country  that  is  not  acquainted  with  the 
true  God  as  revealed  to  men  by  Jesus  Christ,  have  a  god  of 
their  own  to  whom  they  bring  sacrifice  and  worship.  Again 
I  looked  at  the  obelisk  and  saw  its  shadow  on  the  north 
slowly  veering  around  to  the  east,  and  I  tried  to  think  of  the 
thousands  of  years  that  shadow,  day  after  day,  in  this  almost 
cloudless  climate,  had  turned  its  way,  like  some  grim  finger 
of  fate."  I  could  not  grasp  the  time ;  I  found  that  beyond 
my  power,  yet  as  I  mused  I  found  that  each  year  represented 
a  seedtime  and  a  harvest,  the  bursting  of  buds  in  the  spring- 
time and  the  falling  of  leaves  in  the  autumn,  and  out  of  such 
abstract  figures  as  5000  years  I  began  to  catch  some  of  its 
real  meaning.  We  drove  back  to  Cairo,  watching  the  peo- 
ple, hearing  the  birds  sing,  basking  in  the  sunlight  and  no- 
ticing how  funny  the  crows  look  in  Egypt,  being  of  a  black 
and  gray  color.  That  afternoon  we  went  out  on  one  of  the 
main  thoroughfares  to  see  the  people.  Every  few  moments 
some  gentleman  of  position  or  wealth,  in  a  handsome  car- 
riage drawn  by  fine  horses,  would  come  in  sight,  and  about 
ten  paces  ahead  was  a  forerunner,  called  a  "sais,"  who,  with 


228  A   CALiFORNrAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

a  wand  several  feet  long  in  his  hand,  bare  feet  and  legs, 
wearing  a  skull  cap,  a  gorgeously  embroidered  jacket  and  a 
flowing  white  tunic,  would  run  along  in  the  street  ahead  of 
the  horses.  It  is  said  that  they  "run  the  pace  that  kills," 
and  die  young.  Now  a  water  carrier  goes  along  with  a 
goatskin  full  of  water  strapped  to  his  back — and  with  the 
hair  left  on  and  bloated  in  appearance,  it  is  almost  lifelike. 
Then  an  English  cart  with  European  ladies  of  fashion  in  it, 
with  a  gaily  dressed  Egyptian  attendant  standing  on  the 
rear  or  driving  for  them.  Now  a  train  of  camels  laden 
with  sacks  marked  in  Arabic  characters,  with  their  scrannel- 
like  necks  poised  upward,  many  Egyptians  on  foot,  some 
of  them  running,  all  seeming  to  like  the  street  better  than 
the  sidewalk.  Now  a  lemonade  peddler,  then  a  man  selling 
slippers,  all  hanging  on  a  long  pole;  traveling  dry  goods 
merchants — all  passing  and  repassing  in  one  changing,  rest- 
less, heterogeneous  stream — ^the  like  of  which  can  be  seen 
in  no  other  large  city  in  the  world.  We  walked  to  the 
banks  of  the  Nile  and  found  the  drawbridge  open  to  let 
boats  through.  What  a  stream  of  latteen  sail  boats,  hun- 
dreds of  them,  mixed,  jammed  and  huddled  together,  every- 
body talking  and  gesticulating,  while  a  great  mass  of  hu- 
manity and  animals  gathered  at  each  end  of  the  bridge  to 
pass.  For  an  hour  we  watched  this  surging  stream  of  boats 
and  the  gathering  people  of  all  shades  of  color  from  deep- 
est bronze  to  the  bluest  of  black,  and  from  tawny  to  copper 
color,  clad  in  every  variety  of  costume.  The  bridge  closed 
and  this  great  block  of  humanity,  that  had  gathered  at  each 
end  of  the  bridge,  made  a  grand  rush,  mingled  in  with  all 
sorts  of  wagons,  asses  and  camels,  each  muleteer  cracking 
his  whip  like  an  American  cowboy.  Everyone  was  shout- 
ing at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  we  ran  with  the  rest  at 
the  top  of  our  speed  to  see  how  it  would  seem.  A  gentle- 
man from  Nebraska,  who  ran  with  us  and  the  throng,  stum- 
bled and  fell,  as  the  saying  is,  "head  over  heels,"  narrowly 
missing  being  run  over.  As  we  reached  the  center  of  the 
bridge,  the  rush  coming  from  the  opposite  way  had  all  the 


EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  229 

force  of  an  avalanche,  and  I  am  wondering  yet  how  we  ever 
got  through  with  a  whole  skin.  A  little  excitement  some- 
times is  quite  exhilarating. 

We  hired  a  carriage  and  rode  to  the  so-called  "Jacob's 
well."  I  do  not  think  that  Joseph  dug  the  well,  as  it  was 
discovered  after  the  Mohammedans  came  to  Egypt,  and 
is  in  an  unlikely  place,  as  it  is  on  a  hill  and  near  old  Cairo. 
It  is  a  natural  place  for  fortifications  and  near  the  place  of 
"Mameluke's  leap,"  therefore  was  more  than  likely  dug  to 
obtain  water  if  encompassed  with  an  army.  It  is  a  wonderful 
piece  of  work,  dug  in  soft  rock,  about  fifteen  feet  square, 
and  for  150  feet  has  a  sloping  pathway  running  down,  wide 
enough  to  drive  a  yoke  of  oxen.  This  sloping  path  is  dug 
outside  of  the  well  in  the  rock,  circling  spirally  around  it 
with  now  and  then  a  window  through  the  rock  into  the  well. 
Then  oxen  were  used  to  pump  the  water,  as  the  aperture 
is  small  below  where  the  oxen  worked  the  pumps. 

One  morning,  accompanied  by  a  dragoman,  we  purchased 
tickets  for  a  station  on  the  railroad  running  up  the  Nile  called 
"Bedrechein,"  about  twenty  miles  from  Cairo.  Our  train, 
the  usual  morning  one  for  upper  Egypt,  was  a  long  one  of 
several  coaches,  and  each  compartment  filled  with  passen- 
gers. Soon  after  leaving  the  large  station  in  Cairo,  where  as 
trains  arrive  and  depart  there  is  much  bustle  and  tumult, 
we  crossed  the  Nile  on  an  iron  bridge  some  distance  over 
the  water.  Our  course  ran  south  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Nile.  To  my  surprise,  for  most  of  the  distance  our  train 
ran  along  a  narrow  embankment  of  earth,  and  to  the  left 
we  saw  the  river,  and  to  the  right,  for  miles  and  miles,  the 
whole  country  was  one  vast  lake  of  water.  Out  of  these 
areas  of  water,  on  knolls  and  at  the  edges,  were  villages  gray 
with  age,  and  the  little  houses  were  clustered  together  as 
thick  as  the  seeds  in  a  pomegranate. 

There  were  thousands  of  date  and  palm  trees,  most  of 
them  forty  or  fifty  feet  high,  with  trunks  as  straight  as  ar- 
rows, all  of  the  same  size,  surmounted  with  tops  not  large, 
and  all  standing  in  the  water.    Much  of  the  fruit  on  these 


230  A   CALrFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

palm  trees  had  been  gathered,  yet  a  few  clusters  were  left, 
looking  like  bunches  of  gold  and  amber.  Between  us  and 
the  river  was  a  narrow  strip  of  land,  beyond  a  canal;  near 
the  track  were  fields  of  sugar  cane  and  Indian  corn.  Beyond 
the  Nile,  which  is  dotted  with  boats  sailing  along  with  lat- 
teen  sails,  are  large  sugar  mills  working  up  the  sugar  cane. 

At  9  o'clock  we  arrived  at  our  station.  Out  of  a  score  of 
"Good"  donkeys  our  dragoman  selected  the  best  ones,  and 
engaging  two  boys  to  accompany  us,  we  mounted  and  drove 
away.  One  donkey  boy  carried  a  basket  on  his  head  con- 
taining our  lunch,  and  the  other  one  ran  behind  us  to  lay 
a  stick  upon  any  lagging  donkey.  There  was  only  a  little 
plot  of  ground  where  the  station  and  village  stood,  all  the 
rest  being  covered  with  water  except  a  road  on  the  top  of  a 
dyke  running  west  of  the  village.  We  galloped  out  on  this 
road,  with  lakes  on  either  side,  and  again  I  was  surprised. 
It  was  market  day  in  Bedrechein,  and  as  far  as  we  could  see, 
on  this  dyke  thrown  up  above  the  water,  an  almost  un- 
broken procession  of  Egyptian  people,  men  and  women  com- 
ing to  market.  Many  of  the  men  were  bringing  nothing,  but 
every  woman  had  something  on  her  head — a  basket  of  grain, 
chickens  in  a  basket,  dates,  vegetables,  eggs,  butter,  dried 
lentils,  split  beans,  sugar  cane,  buffalo  cream  and  many  other 
things.  Some  of  the  men  had  asses  and  camels  loaded  with 
produce,  others  old  and  gray  were  walking  along  leaning 
on  a  cane,  as  perhaps  for  fifty  years  they  had  never  missed 
a  market  day,  and  their  fathers  did  the  same  before.  They 
had  very  little  clothing  to  bother  them.  Most  of  these  coun- 
try people  dress  in  black,  buying  the  cotton  cloth  and  dyeing 
what  little  they  wear  at  home. 

After  riding  two  or  three  miles,  with  groves  of  palm  trees 
and  water  surrounded  villages  on  each  side,  we  came  to  ruins, 
where  regular  hills  of  them  were  heaped  up  completely  full  of 
broken  pottery,  pieces  of  brick,  broken  potsherds,  and  frag- 
ments of  limestone.  Other  heaps,  some  of  them  forty  feet 
high  and  covering  two  or  three  acres,  were  scattered  about  in 
this  palm  tree  forest.    They  looked  like  gigantic  dust  heaps, 


NATIVES    GOING    TO     MARKET 

AT   MKMPHIS 


EIGHT  HUNDRED   MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  231 

and  on  their  surface  only  stunted  palms  grew.  Great  ex- 
cavations have  been  made  in  these  heaps,  yet  they  are  all  of 
the  same  appearance.  Was  it  some  great  convulsion  of  na- 
ture that  produced  this  singular  appearance?  Desolation 
reigned  supreme.  The  reason  it  did  is  because  thousands  of 
years  ago  certain  prophets  in  the  Bible  foretold  that  a  city 
they  called  "Noph"  would  perish.  This  word  is  simply  the 
Egyptian  for  Memphis,  and  we  were  standing  on  the  old 
site  of  Memphis.  A  king  of  Egypt  named  Menes  founded 
this  city.  The  most  we  know  about  ancient  Memphis  is  that 
Herodotus  wrote  of  it  about  450  B.  C.  In  his  writings  we 
are  told  that  Menes  changed  the  course  of  the  Nile  in  order 
that  this  city  might  be  built  by  its  side.  Menes  is  of  the 
first  dynasty  of  Egyptian  kings,  and  it  is  claimed  by  many 
chronologists  that  his  time  is  4000  years  B.  C.  Do  not  get 
dizzy  over  these  figures,  yet  remember  that  this  is  the  oldest 
king,  and  Memphis  was  the  oldest  city  in  the  world,  as  Da- 
mascus is  the  oldest  city  existing.  No  city  ever  had  such 
a  wonderful  history.  Palaces,  temples,  pythons,  monuments 
and  statues  were  added  by  each  successive  Pharaoh,  and  the 
city  outlived  all  of  the  thirty-one  dynasties  of  Egypt,  and  was 
in  existence  when  all  of  the  pyramids  and  tombs  were  built. 
Even  down  to  the  founding  of  Alexandria  it  was  an  import- 
ant city.  Joseph,  when  he  was  a  ruler  or  head  minister, 
lived  here  for  sixty-one  years.  Where  is  it  today?  When 
the  Mohammedans  came  into  power  in  Egypt  they  took  the 
stones — all  that  was  movable — ^to  build  Cairo  with,  and  the 
Nile  has  covered  the  rest.  The  great  temple  Ptah  had  two 
colossal  statues,  and  one  of  them  lies  thrown  down,  which 
we  saw.  It  has  been  raised  a  few  feet  from  the  ground 
and  we  climbed  a  ladder  to  see  the  face.  The  statue  was 
forty-two  feet  long  anu  of  immense  proportions,  being  the 
figure  of  Rameses  II.  Another  smaller  statue  and  broken 
fragments  are  all  that  is  left  of  this  great  city.  We  had 
fourteen  miles  to  go  before  we  could  reach  the  great  pyra- 
mids at  Gizeh.  We  galloped  through  these  palm  tree  groves 
and  by  some  villages  until  we  came  to  where  the  Nile  in  its 


232  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

overflow  did  not  reach,  and  what  a  change.  Here  is  the 
Libyan  desert  with  its  drifting  sands,  its  rocks  like  rusty 
gold,  and  a  score  of  pyramids  outlined  against  the  soft  blue 
sky,  of  Giflferent  coloring  (as  the  centuries  of  time  have 
molded  the  rocks  they  are  made  of),  more  delicate  in  color 
than  any  pigments  of  paint  yet  invented.  We  were  entering 
the  greatest  and  oldest  cemetery  in  the  world,  where  for 
many  miles  on  the  edge  of  this  treeless  desert,  called  by  the 
old  Egyptians  the  "region  of  death,"  being  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Nile,  and  calculated  to  contain  the  remains  of  thirty 
millions  of  people.  Rich  and  poor,  peasant  and  king,  here 
sleep  waiting  for  the  resurrection  trumpet  to  sound  from  the 
heavens  above.  With  interest  we  approached  the  nearest 
pyramid  built  in  a  succession  of  steps  on  all  sides.  It  is 
older  than  Cheops  and  is  believed  to  be  the  first  one,  there- 
fore the  oldest  one  in  Egypt.  If  the  inscription  is  correct 
that  was  found  on  an  inner  door,  then  it  was  erected  by 
the  fourth  king  of  the  first  dynasty,  just  about  eighty  years 
after  Menes'  time,  although  there  are  authorities  that  place 
Menes'  time  at  3266  B.  C.  At  the  latest  date  here  was  a 
pyramid  that  was  over  1000  years  old  when  Abraham  was 
born,  the  most  peculiar  one  of  the  lot.  The  door  to  the 
chamber  inside  was  carried  oflf  to  Europe  many  years  ago,  and 
is  now  in  the  Museum  Berlin.  In  the  shade  of  this  oldest 
piece  of  work  now  extant,  ever  built  by  man,  we  ate  our 
prepared  lunch.  All  around  us  were  the  yellow  drifting 
sands,  and  in  the  east  the  Nile  valley,  now  covered  with 
water,  under  its  annual  overflow.  Thought,  sentiment,  age 
and  association  sometimes  form  a  picture  of  transcendent 
beauty.  For  twenty  miles  up  and  down  this  valley  the 
great  city  of  Memphis  extended.  In  the  valley  was  a  land 
of  the  living;  where  I  sat  was  the  land  of  the  dead.  Con- 
trast— yonder  is  a  wealth  of  living  water  bringing  life  and 
verdure;  here  are  shifting  sands  covering  death  and  desola- 
tion. 

After  lunch   we  started  to  look  into  some  of  the  tombs. 
The  first  one  we  entered  is  called  the  Serapheum  and  was 


EIGHT  HUNDRED   MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  233 

discovered  about  1850  A.  D.,  in  a  remarkable  manner.  Stra- 
bo,  an  historian,  writing  many  centuries  ago,  said  the  tem- 
ple of  Serapis  was  in  danger  of  being  covered  with  drifting 
sand  and  that  the  avenue  of  sphinx  leading  to  the  temple  was 
partly  covered.  A  gentleman  by  the  name  of  M.  Mariette 
was  walking  over  these  sands  in  1850  when  he  saw  the  head 
of  a  sphinx  above  the  sand,  and  by  its  side  a  libation  table 
with  an  inscription  on  it  relating  to  Apis-Osiris.  He  hired 
some  men  and  commenced  digging  and  found  an  avenue  bor- 
dered with  sphinx,  six  hundred  feet  long.  The  temple 
Strabo  saw  was  gone,  but  down  in  the  sand  seventy  feet  deep 
at  the  end  of  the  avenue  he  found  the  long  missing  burial 
place  of  the  sacred  bulls  or  Apis  of  Egypt,  which  were 
simply  regarded  as  the  incarnation  of  Osiris,  the  greatest 
divinity  in  Egypt.  We  walked  down  this  avenue  and  en- 
tered the  tomb,  seventy  feet  below  the  surface,  where  these 
bulls  were  mummied  after  death  and  buried  in  this  cata- 
comb. We  were  in  a  vast  temple  twelve  hundred  feet  long, 
hewn  out  of  solid  rock,  and  on  the  sides  were  recesses  or 
mortuary  chapels,  long  rows  of  them,  but  never  opposite 
each  other.  In  these  vaulted  recesses  were  colossal  sar- 
cophagi, one  in  each,  about  thirteen  feet  long,  eight  feet 
wide  and  eleven  feet  high,  cut  out  of  red,  black  or  gray 
granite,  polished  beautifully.  We  climbed  a  ladder  of  several 
steps  and  looked  into  one  sarcophagus.  They  are  several 
inches  thick  and  all  hewn  out,  making  a  coffin  that  is  also 
polished  inside.  Here  in  this  serapheum  the  Apis  mummies 
were  deposited  in  these  stone  sarcophagi,  and  in  the  magnifi- 
cent temple  of  Serapis,  many  feet  above  on  the  surface  (not 
a  vestige  of  it  now  remaining),  for  many  centuries  the  sa- 
cred bull  was  worshipped  with  more  pomp  and  ceremony 
than  any  god  in  Egypt.  On  some  of  the  side  walls  of  these 
chapels  are  inscribed  tablets  written  in  hieroglyphics,  giving 
the  age  and  details  of  death  and  burial  of  the  Apis,  also  the 
persons  present  on  the  occasion.  This  tomb  was  excavated 
about  1500  B.  C.  When  discovered  only  one  Apis  was 
found,  the  rest  having  been  destroyed  or  removed  at  some 


234  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE    GLOBE. 

early  age.  The  next  tomb  we  visited  was  the  tomb  of  Tih. 
Tih  was  a  wealthy  priest  that  lived  in  Memphis  3000  years 
B.  C.  and  married  a  grand-daughter  of  one  of  the  Pharaohs. 
This  is  a  beautiful  spacious  tomb,  and  any  child  can  read 
how  Tih  and  his  family  lived  by  looking  at  the  paintings  and 
sculpture  in  base  reliefs  on  its  inner  walls.  He  was  a  great 
hunter  and  used  to  hunt  the  crocodiles  and  hippopotami  that 
lived  in  the  river  as  low  down  as  Memphis  in  those  days. 
Tih  kept  many  kinds  of  birds  and  beasts — geese,  ducks,  pig- 
eons, cranes,  goats,  donkeys,  gazelles  and  antelope.  In  one 
picture  many  people  are  pictured  as  bringing  gifts  of  oxen, 
fruit  and  vegetables. 

In  the  distance  is  the  Nile  and  men  are  fishing,  boats  are 
sailing  and  birds  are  sitting  on  the  water  or  flying.  On 
another  wall  in  the  foreground,  cattle  are  grazing  in  the 
meadows,  oxen  are  plowing  and  treading  out  grain  just 
the  same  as  today,  and  with  his  wife  he  is  walking  out  and 
watching  some  boats  coming  in  the  distance.  There  are 
cows  crossing  a  ford,  a  flock  of  geese  being  driven  home, 
carpenters  building  a  boat,  potters  making  pottery,  artisans 
melting  gold.  In  a  field  a  sower  is  scattering  seed,  another 
reaping  grain,  and  elsewhere  storing  the  grain  away  in  a 
granary.  There  are  pictures  of  his  home  built  of  wood, 
yet  nothing  but  a  tomb  in  solid  rock  would  do  for  his  burial. 
Like  the  custom  of  his  time  he  and  his  wife  are  pictured 
as  veritable  giants,  while  all  the  other  people  are  of  usual 
size.  About  5000  years  ago  this  work  was  done,  yet  the  col- 
oring is  just  about  as  perfect  today,  so  wonderfully  has  it 
all  kept  down  in  the  depths  of  this  dry  desert.  We  had 
purchased  in  Cairo  that  morning  some  magnesium  wire  in 
order  to  see  all  these  wonders  as  we  lighted  them.  Every 
figure  is  life-like,  and  the  way  the  asses  kick  and  bray,  the 
crocodile  rises  for  a  plunge,  and  the  ducks  rise  to  fly  away, 
are  as  full  of  life  as  any  Landseer  can  paint  them.  Full  of 
new  thought,  we  walkeu  away.  Even  in  the  tomb  of  the 
Serapheum,  as  its  discoverer  removed  the  stones  that  con- 
cealed the  Apis,  he  found  a  footprint  in  the  sand  within  and 


EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  235 

some  finger  marks  in  the  mortar  left  there  3500  years  ago 
by  some  Egyptian  mason. 

With  another  glance  at  all  the  pyramids  of  Sakkarah,  eleven 
of  them  in  this  group,  and  at  the  largest  one  with  steps  on 
all  sides — the  oldest  monument  in  the  world — we  mounted 
our  donkeys,  and  with  their  heads  and  our  eyes  set  on  the 
pyramids  of  Gizeh,  we  rapidly  rode  that  way,  fully  twelve 
miles  distant.  At  our  right  were  vast  areas  of  the  Nile  val- 
ley, covered  with  water — the  time  of  high  Nile;  at  the  left 
and  along  our  pathway  lay  the  vast  Libyan  desert.  Many 
tombs  of  Egyptian  kings  have  never  been  discovered,  and 
perhaps  within  the  sound  of  our  voices,  if  sand  and  rock 
did  not  intervene,  were  tombs  of  royal  mummies  awaiting 
the  blast  of  an  angel's  trumpet,  to  emerge  from  their  burial 
places.  , 

Over  undulating  ridges  of  sand  our  course  lay.  Some 
stretches  were  drifted  hard  where  our  donkeys  could  gallop 
as  well  as  California  mustangs.  One  of  the  donkey  boys 
ran  ahead  until  I  wondered  why  he  ran  so  fast,  as  he  was  a 
mile  away.  Suddenly  I  missed  him,  and  galloping  along  I 
saw  him  by  the  edge  of  the  Nile  overflow  on  a  rock,  saying 
his  prayers  as  he  faced  Mecca.  /\  Mohammedan,  if  he  can 
find  water,  will  always  perform  an  ablution  before  he  prays. 
I  noticed  that  this  boy,  at  lunch,  as  we  offered  them  some 
food,  declined  to  eat  on  account  of  the  Ramadan  fast.  Af- 
ter getting  to  the  pyramids  of  Gizeh  they  had  this  fourteen 
miles  to  travel  over  again  in  order  to  go  home  and  take  the 
donkeys  back,  and  their  wages  were  twenty  cents  each  for 
the  day.  Not  until  4  o'clock  did  we  reach  the  plateau  where 
two  of  the  seven  ancient  wonders  of  the  world  are.  How 
interested,  wide  awake  and  expectant  we  were  as  our  now 
tired  donkeys  jogged  along.  We  saw  a  group  of  people 
standing  on  the  top  of  Cheops  in  outline  against  the  sky, 
and  we  proposed  to  stand  on  that  towering  height  before 
another  night  chased  away  this  bright  sunlight.  Gleaming 
with  hope,  we  struggled  on,  with  our  eyes  fixed  on  this  goal 
beyond.    Each  step  we  took  the  pyramid  grew,  until  it  looked 


236  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

like  some  mountain  view.  Coming  to  a  little  hill,  as  Elmer 
and  the  dragoman  rode  around  it,  I  jumped  from  the  don- 
key and  ran  directly  up  the  hill,  as  I  knew  the  Sphinx  was 
just  beyond  its  brow  in  a  little  hollow.  There  it  was  not 
over  one  hundred  feet  away.  I  have  read  so  much  about 
this  wonderful  Sphinx  that  perhaps,  expecting  too  much,  I 
must  acknowledge  I  was  disappointed.  You  have  repeatedly 
read  descriptions  of  this  wonder  of  the  world,  therefore  I 
will  not  need  to  delineate,  except  to  say  its  size  is  gigantic, 
its  conception  and  execution — hewn,  as  it  is,  in  solid  rock — 
marvelous,  yet  the  depths  of  my  soul  did  not  respond  in 
admiration  as  I  expected.  I  climbed  on  its  back,  I  walked 
around  it  and  tried  to  respond  in  enthusiasm  and  failed.  Its 
age,  its  immovable  look,  its  position,  looking  out  on  the  Nile, 
are  so  replete  with  thought  that  it  would  be  easy  to  write 
pages  of  poetry  or  prose  by  borrowing  sentiment  to  en- 
velop the  Sphinx. 

We  walked  from  the  Sphinx  to  Cheops,  not  far  away.  We 
were  in  no  hurry  to  climb,  as  each  moment  we  looked  at 
these  immense  monuments  their  vastness  grew.  All  about 
in  the  undulating  tableland  are  open  graves,  where  treasure 
hunters  have  dug  into  ancient  tombs  and  mounds  of  seem- 
ingly shapeless  masonry.  We  looked  up  Cheops,  and  its 
bulk  and  size  shut  out  much  of  the  sky  and  horizon.  Our 
sense  of  awe  and  wonder  alone  remained.  We  commenced 
on  one  corner  to  climb  Cheops,  and  as  two  Arabs  sprang  to 
my  assistance,  I  resolutely  refused  to  let  them  touch  me.  I 
wanted  to  climb  this  great  gnomon  alone,  the  most  stupen- 
dous one  ever  set  up  by  human  hands.  I  knew  from  my 
boyhood  days  that  the  polished  marble  surface  of  this  pyra- 
mid had  been  stripped  off  to  use  in  Cairo  centuries  ago  by 
the  Mohammedans,  yet  as  I  took  a  step  and  glanced  up  its 
rugged  Alpine  sides,  its  height  seemed  to  me  to  be  almost 
insurmountable. 

Each  course  of  rock  as  regular  as  any  masonry  can  be  laid, 
stretched  off  on  the  corner  far  enough  to  encompass  one 
side  of  a  square  plot  of  land  containing  thirteen  acres.    The 


SPHINX    AND    CHEOPS 


EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES  UP  THE   NILE.  237 

thickness  of  each  course  varied  from  three  to  five  feet,  and 
many  of  the  blocks  of  stone  were  from  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  long  and  several  feet  wide.  It  took  me  about  thirty 
minutes  of  tiresome  effort  to  reach  the  top,  and  each  step 
enlarged  my  ideas  of  its  magnitude.  The  top,  not  entirely 
smooth,  is  said  to  be  thirty  feet  square.  The  height  of 
Cheops  is  now  480  feet,  as  twenty  feet  of  the  original  height 
of  500  feet  has  been  taken  off  to  make  room  to  let  tourists 
gather  on  its  top.  In  443  B,  C.  Herodotus,  an  ancient  his- 
torian, did  not  know  ol  its  origin,  and  speaks  of  its  great 
antiquity,  yet  he  hands  down  a  tradition  that  it  took  400,000 
men  twenty  years  to  construct  Qieops  alone.  In  plain  view 
a  great  causeway  is  seen  leading  to  the  river.  The  stone 
of  these  pyramids  was  obtained  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Nile  river  valley,  a  few  miles  away.  What  a  view!  This 
pyramid  stands  about  one  hundred  feet  at  its  base  higher  than 
the  Nile  river  valley,  and  just  on  the  edge  of  a  desert  that 
extends  as  far  to  the  west  as  across  the  United  States 
from  New  York  to  San  Francisco,  and  as  far  as  I  could 
see  the  utmost  desolation.  At  the  north  the  famous  "Delta 
of  the  Nile,"  evergreen,  one  of  the  most  fertile  and,  if  planted, 
fruitful  regions  in  the  world.  At  the  south  is  the  site  of 
Memphis,  now  covered  with  water,  her  pyramids,  where 
Joseph  lived  and  ruled,  and  at  the  east  areas  of  water,  and 
near  the  other  edge  the  little  island  of  Rodah,  where  it  is 
said  Moses  was  found  in  his  "ark  of  bullrushes."  Beneath 
my  feet  and  off  to  the  south  lay  the  millions  of  dead  of  forty 
centuries.  In  the  distance,  with  her  minarets,  spires  and 
towers  all  aglow  with  the  rays  of  a  declining  sun,  lay  Cairo, 
and  beyond — just  behind  this  sun-kissed  metropolis  of  Af- 
rica— are  the  Bakattam  hills.  A  wonderful  panorama,  unlike 
any  other  in  the  world,  and  its  interest  is  increased  because 
of  the  associations  its  awakens.  We  were  standing  upon  a 
monument  whose  history  is  lost  in  mystery,  buried  up  in 
the  pre-historic  past,  just  as  much  an  enigma  and  wonder  to 
men  twenty-five  hundred  years  ago  as  today.  It  is  much 
easier  to  grasp  something  of  its  size  than  to  apprehend  its 


238  A    CALIFORNIAN    CrRCLING   THE    GLOBE. 

age.  I  tried  to  realize  something  of  such  figures  as  6000 
years.  How  abstract  they  seemed,  yet  out  on  this  area 
of  water  to  the  east  for  fully  a  mile,  and  across  the  edge 
of  the  tomb-pitted  desert,  there  stretched  a  great  shadow, 
mighty  distinct  and  sharp  in  its  outlines.  The  sun  was 
not  far  from  setting  and  this  shadow  kept  dividing  the  sun- 
light where  it  fell,  until  all  the  space  it  increasingly  covered 
was  darkened  like  the  advent  of  an  eclipse.  Day  after  day, 
this  slowly  pacing  shadow  has  crept  out  on  these  lines  dur- 
ing low  Nile  and  high  Nile,  summer  and  winter,  month 
after  month,  and  year  after  year,  measuring  the  size  and 
registering  the  height  of  this,  the  largest  work  of  man  in 
all  the  world — then  with  a  thrill  of  something  akin  to  awe, 
I  seemed  to  stand  on  this  mighty  monument  and  grasp  out 
of  the  misty  past  something  that  is  real,  a  little  glimpse  of 
what  six  thousand  years  of  time  means.  It  was  with  re- 
luctance I  turned  to  descend,  but  I  saw  this  mighty  meas- 
uring shadow  lengthening  out  on  the  landscape,  and  com- 
menced to  clamber  down,  musing  to  myself  as  I  went,  some- 
thing of  which  I  now  present: 

The  builders  measured  the  stars  and  sun, 
And  found  this  place  where  they  begun. 
Each  stone  was  tried  with  square  and  rule, 
Until  its  place  was  found  to  be  true; 
Thus  the  structure  was  built  in  such  perfect  shape 
That  twice  each  year  no  shadow  it  made. 

It  is  said  that  this  pyramid  of  Cheops  is  built  on  the  exact 
latitude  and  longitude,  where  the  sun  each  spring  and  fall, 
at  midday,  stood  exactly  vertical  over  it,  making  twice  each 
year  that  before  its  polished  marble  covering  was  stripped 
off  there  was  no  shadow  on  either  of  its  four  sides.  All  the 
pyramids  are  "Oriented,"  built  to  face  the  four  cardinal  points. 

As  I  mused  still  farther  in  climbing  down,  there  came  a 
beautiful  thought.  (Just  like  the  builders  of  this  pyramid, 
God  wants  us  to  use  his  Word  to  keep  us  in  such  a  par- 
ticular latitude  and  longitude  that  when  Jesus  Christ  comes 


EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES  UP  THE  NILE.  23d 

for  us  some  day,  His  light  will  be  so  directly  vertical  that 
He  will  find  no  shadow  or  darkness  about  us,  and  we  will 
"be  caught  up — in  the  clouds  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air.") 
Just  as  the  sun  was  hiding  its  face  beyond  those  hills  out  oft 
the  Libyan  desert,  I  stepped  off  from  this  monument  and  we 
hurried  to  some  electric  cars  not  far  away  and  boarded  them 
for  Cairo.  Each  side  of  our  car  track  was  this  Nile  over- 
flow of  water,  and  villages  surrounded  with  water,  also 
running  parallel  with  the  car  track  on  one  side  is  a  fine 
avenue  bordered  with  acacia  trees  and  a  carriage  drive  be- 
tween them.  The  Egyptian  peasants  were  going  home,  and 
as  our  electric  cars  crossed  the  Nile  into  Cairo,  there  were 
many  sail  boats  with  their  lateen  sails  neatly  furled,  lying 
at  anchor;  women  were  filling  their  water  jugs  with  Nile 
water,  buffaloes  and  cattle  were  drinking,  and  as  I  looked 
up  and  around,  the  after  glow  of  sunset  had  caught  the  rocky 
hills  over  toward  the  Arabian  desert  and  they  were  gleaming 
in  colors  of  rose,  violet  and  gold,  ana  back  against  the  glow 
of  the  sky  over  the  Libyan  desert  I  saw  the  two  large  pyra- 
mids as  sharply  outlined  as  ever,  only  seeming  to  possess 
additional  size  and  interest. 

One  morning  we  left  Cairo  for  Luxor.  For  the  first 
one  hundred  miles  much  of  the  valley  was  inundated  from 
the  Nile,  and  dotted  with  many  mud-colored  and  partly 
submerged  villages,  carrying  their  wood  piles,  consisting 
of  weeds,  corn  stalks  and  cotton  bushes,  on  their  house 
tops.  Each  village  has  tombs,  whitewashed,  looking  like 
honey-combed  tombs,  to  keep  pigeons  in,  and  they  surmount 
the  highest  points  of  their  mud  walls.  Hundreds  of  acres 
of  Indian  com  in  Lower  Egypt,  and  as  the  day  wore  on  and 
we  reached  Upper  Egypt  Egyptian  corn  was  the  prevailing 
crop.  Large  fields  of  sugar  cane,  almost  ripe  for  gathering,  and 
standing  as  thick  and  close  together  as  it  could  grow.  Grad- 
ually the  submerged  fields  began  to  appear  and  before  night 
we  saw  th€  farmers  harrowing  in  grain  in  the  almost  muddy 
fields,  as  the  overflow  of  the  Nile  had  passed  on  down  the 
valley.    Many  mud   villages   and  palm  tree  groves,   and   in 


240  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

places  the  "shadoof"  worked  by  brown  looking  figures  just 
as  they  were  created,  except  a  very  scant  loin  cloth  tied  about 
them.  In  other  places  some  sleepy-eyed  looking  buffalo,  or 
oxen,  slowly  treading  around  in  a  circle,  and  within  a  water 
wheel  was  slowly  revolving  with  its  endless  necklace  of 
earthen  pots— one  of  their  ways  of  lifting  water  for  irri- 
gation— called  a  "sakkieh."  Sometimes  we  would  pass  the 
ancient  mounds  of  some  forgotten  city,  and  each  side  of  the 
valley  was  a  desert,  all  sand  hills  and  sand  plains,  with  up- 
heavals of  rock  and  a  background  of  mountains.  Out  in 
these  country  roads  I  found  a  never-ceasing  interest,  as  now 
a  file  of  loaded  camels  would  come  into  sight,  women  carry- 
ing water  to  the  village  on  their  heads  in  water  jugs,  don- 
keys laden  with  loads  much  larger  than  the  donkey,  every 
scene  representing  a  little  part  of  this  strange  world  that  we 
live  in.  In  places  we  saw  thousands  of  wild  ducks  and 
snipe.  About  noon  we  passed  a  village  where  their  market 
day  was  in  progress.  Acres  of  white  turbaned  heads,  all  bob- 
bing around  in  their  chaffering  as  to  price  with  those  about 
them,  and  nearly  all  of  them  dressed  in  black.  Towards 
evening  we  passed  Keneh,  where  all  the  best  quality  of  water 
jugs  are  made;  many  of  them  are  exported  to  Palestine.  They 
mix  ashes  with  the  clay  in  their  construction. 

At  Wasta  many  passengers  alighted,  and  many  came  on 
board,  among  them  a  young  man  who  was  an  Egyptian.  He 
was  a  student  in  some  school  and  could  talk  English.  We 
were  talking  of  many  things,  when  he  asked  me,  "Have  you 
a  Nile  in  your  country?"  I  said,  "No;  it  rains  there."  He 
replied,  "That  is  not  good  like  the  Nile."  Egypt  and  its 
people  are  so  interwoven  with  this  river  that  in  all  their  an- 
cient tombs  on  their  monuments,  and  in  their  temples,  one 
will  see  that  the  Nile  is  sketched  to  represent  life  and  was 
considered  a  sacred  river.  At  sundown  we  were  in  a  part  of 
the  valley  where  the  overflow  had  passed  down  so  long  be- 
fore that  for  miles  the  growing  clover  and  different  grains 
formed  one  sea  of  green,  and  many  cattle,  sheep,  camels  and 
donkeys   were,   as   we   say   in    California,   "staked   out,"   the 


EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES  UP  THE   NILE.  241 

population  being  so  large  that  most  of  them  could  only  have 
small  patches  of  each  crop.  Not  until  midnight  did  we  reach 
Luxor,  and  our  condition  was  fully  described  by  a  remark 
Elmer  made — "We  are  as  dirty  as  pigs."  In  my  entire  life 
I  never  experienced  such  a  day  of  being  annoyed  with  dust. 
Every  crevice  through  the  car  windows  and  doors,  the  finest 
of  dust  had  been  sifting  in  all  day,  as  the  train  moved  along, 
until  we  looked  like  veritable  dust  heaps. 

The  next  morning  I  arose  early  and  found  that  our  hotel 
was  on  the  main  street,  leading  from  the  station  to  the  boat 
landings  on  the  Nile,  and  the  Khedive  of  Egypt  was 
coming  to  pass  from  boat  to  rail,  and  all  the  village  author- 
ities were  stringing  up  flags  and  setting  posts  to  hang  the 
strings  on  and  wrapping  them  in  colors  like  a  barber  pole, 
and  setting  up  palm  leaves,  thus  decking  out  the  street  in 
gala  attire.  We  started  out  to  see  the  greatest  ruins  in  the 
world — what  is  left  of  "hundred  gated  Thebes,"  as  Homer, 
the  great  Grecian  bard,  called  this  city,  the  No-Amon  of  the 
Bible,  and  at  one  time  the  great  rival  of  Memphis  and  Nine- 
veh. In  the  Book  of  Nahum  in  the  Bible  at  chapter  three, 
and  eighth  verse,  is  a  description  of  this  ancient  city,  "popu- 
lous No,  that  was  situated  among  the  rivers,  that  had  the 
waters  round  about  it,  whose  rampart  was  the  sea,  and  her 
wall  was  from  the  sea."  A  large  portion  of  this  city  was 
built  on  an  island  and  also  both  sides  of  the  river.  Ancient 
historians  speak  of  this  city  and  wrote  about  its  power, 
wealth  and  magnificence.  Except  the  great  temples  for 
worship,  the  city  was  built  of  sun-dried  bricks  and  crum- 
bled into  ruins  many  centuries  ago.  There  were  two  immense 
temples  about  two  miles  apart  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
and  the  village  of  Luxor  is  clustered  around  one  and  the 
village  of  Kamak  at  the  other. 

We  hired  some  donkeys  and  drove  over  to  Karnak,  pass- 
ing by  the  site  of  a  sacred  lake,  and  could  see  that  at  one 
time  the  two  temples  were  connected  by  great  avenues  lined 
with  sphinxes.  One  avenue  connecting  the  two  temples  must 
have  had  500  sphinxes,  one-half  on  each  side.    Coming  to 


242  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

the  main  entrance  of  the  temple  we  entered  a  wide  avenue 
lined  with  colossal  rams  and  sphinxes.  We  were  on  the  west 
side,  and  at  one  time  this  avenue  five  miles  long  connected 
this  temple  with  temples  across  the  Nile  at  the  foot  of  some 
mountains.  This  original  temple  area  covered  about  ninety 
acres,  and  thirty  acres  of  it  was  covered  with  buildings.  There 
were  twelve  immense  gateways  facing  the  four  cardinal 
points,  three  on  each  side,  yet  within  each  other,  and  all 
connected  by  either  great  rows  of  colonades  or  sphinxes. 
The  first  great  gateway  we  entered  was  three  hundred  and 
seventy  feet  wide,  fifty  feet  deep  and  one  hundred  and  forty 
feet  high,  as  you  will  see  of  astounding  size,  led  us  into  a 
court  of  about  three  hundred  feet  square,  then  another  gate- 
way almost  as  large  as  the  first,  the  lintel  over  the  top  being 
only  one  immense  stone  over  forty  feet  long.  Passing  this 
pylon,  we  came  to  a  great  hall — the  grandest  hall  ever  built 
by  the  genius  of  men  in  all  the  world.  Its  size  is  about 
three  hlundred  and  thirty  feet  long  and  one  hundred  and 
seventy  feet  wide,  and  in  height  it  stands  in  the  clear  about 
eighty  feet.  Then  the  stone  ceiling,  resting  on  stone  girders, 
is  supported  by  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  gigantic  col- 
umns or  pillars  in  sixteen  rows,  the  central  one  about  thirty 
feet  higher  than  the  side  rows,  forming  a  clerestory  with 
side  windows.  These  central  pillars  of  stone  are  about  sev- 
enty feet  long  without  the  base  or  capital,  and  only  lacking 
a  few  inches  of  being  thirty-six  feet  in  circumference.  But 
why  give  all  these  figures?  One  has  no  idea  of  such  colos- 
sal size  until  you  see  them.  There  were  giants  in  those  days 
and  how  little  I  seemed  to  be  as  I  walked  around.  All  this 
stone  work  is  covered  with  figures  oi  gods  and  kings,  of  their 
prayers,  war  scenes  and  offerings.  No  pen  can  describe  these 
wonders,  as  there  is  nothing  else  in  the  world  to  draw  any 
comparison  with. 

We  wandered  around  for  hours  in  court  and  temple  and 
through  pylons,  flanked  with  gigantic  statues.  One  obelisk 
ninety-two  feet  high  and  eight  feet  square  stood  in  mighty 
majesty,   while   its   companion   nearby   is   thrown   down   and 


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CROSSING    THE    NILE 

AT     ANCIENT    THEBES 


EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES  UP  THE   NILE.  243 

broken  into  pieces,  some  of  them  even  looking  too  large  to 
ever  be  moved.  All  kinds  of  sculpture  and  every  wall,  col- 
umn, architrave  and  frieze,  statue  and  obelisk  covered  with 
pictorial  sculpture. 

We  rode  back  to  Luxor,  silent  and  bewildered.  Was  this 
Temple  of  Karnak  only  some  dream? 

Early  in  the  morning,  with  some  donkeys  and  a  dragoman, 
we  started  to  look  at  some  of  the  wonders  of  ancient  Thebes, 
over  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Nile.  Riding  to  the  Nile,  we 
engaged  a  boat  and  the  donkeys  hopped  into  one  end  while 
we  occupied  the  other.  We  were  afloat  on  the  mystical  Nile 
that  I  used  to  read  about  in  my  boyhood  days.  Scrambling 
out  of  the  boat  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  we  mounted 
the  donkeys  and  rode  toward  the  north  along  a  canal.  For 
over  two  miles  through  the  country,  full  of  growing  crops, 
once  ancient  Thebes,  we  rode  until  we  came  to  an  avenue 
once  lined  with  sphinxes,  leading  to  the  west  from  the  tem- 
ple of  Karnak.  Entering  this  avenue  and  riding  directly  west, 
we  soon  came  to  the  temple  of  Kournah.  This  temple,  be- 
gun by  Seti  I,  and  finished  after  his  death  by  Rameses  II, 
was  built  about  1500  B.  C.  The  walls  of  this  temple  are 
sculptured  with  beautiful  pictures.  They  represent  a  funeral 
procession  crossing  the  Nile  and  are  sacrificial. 

There  are  several  small  rooms  connected  with  this  temple. 
No  one  knows  what  they  were  used  for.  This  temple  and 
the  one  of  Karnak  are  of  interest,  as  they  were  built  about 
the  time  Joseph  was  ruler  under  Pharaoh,  and  doubtless  he 
saw  them  and  knew  of  their  use  and  splendor.  After  leaving 
this  temple  we  saw  to  the  west  in  some  tall  cliffs  many  tombs 
cut  into  the  rocks  and  a  small  valley  running  back  into  the 
mountains  or  large  rock  cliffs.  We  rode  to  and  entered  this 
narrow  valley,  with  a  dry  water  course  winding  from  side 
to  side.  We  were  riding  up  the  valley  of  the  Tombs  of  the 
Kings.  . 

Not  a  thing  ever  grew  there  since  the  world  began.  All 
is  desolation,  and  the  wierd  looking  rocks  stand  like  senti- 
nels at  the  right  and  left  taking  on  strange  shapes.    The  sun 


244  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLINQ   THE   GLOBE. 

beats  in  with  pitiless  force,  and  there  is  not  a  ripple  of  a 
breeze,  nor  a  bit  of  shade,  except  behind  some  rock.  Not  a 
living  thing  ever  made  this  place  it's  home. 

As  we  rode  along,  the  ravine  narrows  and  the  cliffs  were 
steeper  and  higher.  Piles  of  sparkling  bits  of  rock  lie  at  the 
base  of  the  cliffs.  We  turn  to  the  south  and  come  to  a  clear 
cut  in  the  rocks  on  one  side  of  this  narrow  valley  and  enter 
another  valley;  and  in  the  distance  is  a  mountain — Egypt  is 
a  land  full  of  strange  mountains — we  feel  sure  the  tombs 
are  under  that  mountain,  but  we  are  mistaken.  Our  course 
up  this  valley  very  soon  takes  us  into  an  amphitheater,  sur- 
rounded by  steep  hills,  all  covered  with  curious  looking  small 
rocks.  On  the  side  of  these  hills,  and  one  of  the  strangest 
sights  in  the  world,  are  the  most  remarkable  tombs  ever  found. 

We  had  to  wait  until  9  o'clock  before  we  could  enter,  as 
this  year  the  government  has  furnished  electric  lights  m  all 
the  principal  tombs  and  turns  on  the  lights  at  9  o'clock.  We 
entered  several  tombs,  among  them  Seti  I  and  Rameses  11. 

Unlike  the  temples  at  Luxor  and  Kamak,  all  these  tombs 
are  full  of  representations  of  life  to  come,  in  painting  and 
sculpture,  on  the  walls.  The  walls  are  covered  with  ser- 
pents, bats  and  scarabs.  There  are  scenes  representing  a 
judgment  day,  where  scales  are  used  to  weigh  all  that  has 
been  done  on  earth,  and  if  favorable,  then  admitted  into  the 
"Abode  of  the  Blest"  and  the  presence  of  Osiris;  if  they 
are  unfavorable,  they  are  sent  back  to  earth,  usually  in  the 
form  of  a  pig,  to  "root  hog,  or  die." 

The  largest  tomb  is  that  of  Seti  I,  measuring  470  feet  in 
length,  and  it  descends  180  feet.  All  of  the  tombs  have  long 
flights  of  steps  leading  downward,  and  then  chamber  after 
chamfber,  and  passages  connecting  them,  dug  out  of  the 
solid  rock.  On  some  of  the  ceilings  the  stars  of  heaven  are 
represented. 

The  most  interesting  of  them  was  the  tomb  of  Amenaphis 
II,  discovered  in  1898.  After  a  long  descent  of  stairs  and 
through  corridors,  we  came  to  a  chamber  where  the  ceiling 
is   painted  blue,   and   all    dotted  over   with  yellow   spots   to 


EIGHT  HUNDRED   MILES  UP  THE   NILE.  245 

represent  the  stars ;  and  the  sarcophagus  of  this  dead  king 
is  there,  and  his  mummified  body,  with  its  face  unwrapped, 
and  a  bright  electric  Hght  suspended  by  his  head,  revealing 
his  features,  almost  as  perfect  as  when  buried  over  three 
thousand  years  ago.  The  amount  of  work  and  time  to  carve 
out  of  almost  the  bowels  of  the  earth  and  in  these  rocks  the 
scores  of  tombs  and  the  paintings  on  their  stone  walls,  ar-e 
altogether  works  of  marvel  and  astounding  magnitude.  Only 
about  one-third  of  the  tombs  of  the  334  Egyptian  kings  have 
yet  been  discovered.  Therefore  there  are  rich  treasures 
and  many  tombs  buried  somewhere  in  and  under  the  rocks  of 
this  desert  waste. 

With  the  donkeys,  we  climbed  the  steep  hills  and  came 
directly  back  of  the  Temple  of  the  Queen  Hatshepsu,  and 
here  in  this  cliff,  near  our  descent,  were  found  the  group  of 
royal  mummies  a  few  years  ago,  among  them  Rameses  ithe 
Great.  We  entered  this  temple,  where  some  of  its  courts 
and  sanctuaries  are  carved  out  of  the  mountain  overshadow- 
ing it. 

Our  next  visit  was  to  the  Temple  of  Medinet  Haboo,  sec- 
ond only  to  the  Karnak  temple  in  size  and  splendor.  The 
sculptured  walls  here  are  remarkable,  and  unlike  the  tombs 
of  the  kings,  depict  scenes  in  Egyptian  history.  In  one  place, 
as  among  the  trophies  of  war,  three  thousand  five  hundred 
and  thirty  human  tongues  and  three  thousand  hands  arc 
presented  to  the  king,  for  which  he  is  rewarding  the  vic- 
tors ;  and  there  are  other  large  heaps  of  hands  and  tongues 
which  men  are  counting  one  by  one.  In  another  place  the 
king  is  putting  out  the  eyes  of  captured  prisoners.  Ladies 
are  seen  wearing  gloves  and  carrying  fans  and  parasols  made 
of  ostrich  feathers.  Some  of  the  coloring  and  most  of  the 
pictures  are  as  perfect  as  the  day  the  artist  finished  them. 

About  one  mile  farther  north  we  came  to  the  Ramesseum, 
where  Rameses  the  Great  did  all  he  could  to  perpetuate  his 
name.  The  greatest  statue  ever  carved  out  of  rock  by  man 
stood  here  at  the  left  of  the  main  entrance.  This,  the  larg- 
est statue  in  Egypt,  and  probably  in  the  world,  is  carved  out 


246  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE    GLOBE. 

of  one  block  of  red  syenite  granite  from  the  quarries  at  As- 
souan. It  is  about  seventy-five  feet  high  and  across  the 
shoulders  measures  two  feet  and  four  inches.  It  is  computed 
that  it  weighed  set  up  on  its  base  one  thousand  tons.  Some 
mighty  hand  or  power  has  hurled  this  great  statue  to  the 
ground  and  the  fragments  it  is  broken  into  are  wonderful. 
One  ear  is  three  and  one-half  feet  long,  and  the  face  six  and 
three-quarter  feet  wide. 

Many  centuries  ago  Greek  and  Roman  travelers  wondered 
at  all  they  saw,  just  the  same  as  we  did,  and  the  historian, 
Dodorous,  wrote  about  them. 

On  this  plain,  a  little  farther  east,  we  came  to  the  Colossi 
of  Memmon,  two  giant  statues  still  left  of  an  avenue  of  them, 
looking  in  their  battered  and  defaced  state  like  men  getting 
old  and  crippled.  Many  centuries  ago  one  of  these  statues 
emitted  sounds  of  music  each  morning  about  sunrise,  and 
ancient  historians  wrote  about  it,  but  it  was  repaired  a  few 
hundred  years  ago  and  has  not  been  heard  since. 

We  mounted  our  donkeys  and  rode  back  to  the  Nile,  and 
as  we  boarded  our  boat  a  bronze  figure  with  the  smallest 
of  loin  cloths  on  was  planting  some  watermelon  seeds  in 
the  sand  where  the  Nile  had  just  receded.  Just  what  right 
he  had  to  that  particular  strip  of  sand  I  know  not. 

Another  day  of  wonders  only  partially  told ;  another  glimpse 
into  the  misty  past.  As  we  rode  back  over  the  Nile,  the 
evening  sun  painted  the  temple  of  Luxor,  lighting  up  pylon, 
pillar,  frieze  and  capital  with  fires  of  amber  and  gold. 

We  visited  this  temple  standing  near  the  brink  of  the  Nile. 
Like  the  other  temples,  the  scale  of  size  and  area  covered  is 
colossal,  and  wall,  pillar  and  pylon  are  covered  with  all  sorts 
of  base  relief  and  sculpture — the  whole  a  glimpse  into  these 
Egyptians'  way  of  living,  and  their  most  important  events  in 
peace  and  war. 

The  lotus  flower  was  the  sacred  flower  of  upper  Egypt,  and 
the  payprus  of  lower  Egypt.  We  saw  on  the  wall  a  picture  of 
the  conquest  of  Palestine  by  Shishonk,  the  Shishak  of  the 
Bible,    who    after   capturing   Jerusalem    and    plundering    the 


TEMPLE    RUINS 

AT  ANCIENT  THEBES 


EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES  UP  THE   NILE.  247 

temple,  is  pictured  as  returning  to  this  city  of  No  with  much 
treasure  and  many  prisoners.  The  prisoners  wore  long 
beards,  the  same  as  the  Jews  do  now  in  Jerusalem.  Mon- 
day morning  at  3  o'clock  you  could  have  seen  us  wending 
our  way  along  the  street  to  the  station.  A  cloudless  sky, 
clear  and  bright,  full  of  twinkling  light.  As  I  looked  at 
that  expanse  of  woven  and  interwoven  clusters  of  nebulae 
spanning  the  sky,  I  thought  of  what  a  little  girl  once  said : 
"Mamma,  when  the  cows  die,  do  they  go  to  the  Milky  Way?" 
While  waiting  for  the  train  I  closed  my  eyes  and  mused, 
as  I  often  love  to  do.  I  had  seen  something  of  the  wonders 
of  ancient  Thebes,  still  mighty  in  their  ruins,  matchless  in 
their  majesty,  and  in  many  respects  like  Baalbec,  unequalled 
in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  I  had  seen  the  tombs  of  these 
Egyptian  kings,  over  in  the  edge  of  the  Libyan  desert,  hewn 
out  in  the  rocks,  on  a  scale  of  greater  magnitude  than  any 
in  Palestine,  and  covered  with  their  conception  of  a  life  to 
come — marvels  of  their  character  and  kind  with  much  of 
the  coloring  and  details  of  painting  and  sculpture  as  per- 
fect as  when  executed  thousands  of  years  ago.  Like  Mem- 
phis, in  and  around  these  tombs  is  another  great  Necropolis 
of  the  dead  numbering  many  millions.  The  largest  of  these 
temples  (Karnak)  in  the  days  of  its  unequalled  grandeur 
was  called  the  "Throne  of  the  World,"  and  its  title  was 
applicable.  Why  was  this  rent  asunder?  Why  are  the  mul- 
titudes gone  and  in  their  places  little  dirty  villages  cluster- 
ing like  a  wasp's  nest  in  and  around  the  ruins?  Read  the 
30th  chapter  of  Ezekiel  and  you  will  see  these  three  quota- 
tions:  "Will  execute  judgments  in  No.  Will  cut  off  the 
multitudes  in  No.  No  shall  be  rent  asunder."  This  has 
all  taken  place,  not  happened,  as  nothing  ever  happens  in 
this  world  that  has  any  relation  to  destiny  and  result.  Mighty 
Thebes  or  the  old  city  of  No!  Will  I  ever  hear  your  name 
without  a  strange  mixture  of  feelings,  a  mingling  of  the 
past  with  the  present,  a  history  that  is  written  on  your  ruins, 
a  destiny  that  was  foretold  and  is  accomplished?  I  have 
failed  to  convey  to  you  any  conception  of  the  magnitude  of 


248  A   CALIFORNrAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

these  temples ;  you  must  come  and  see  for  yourself.  There 
are  times  when  words  fail  to  convey  full  meaning,  when 
only  material  sight  will  do,  because  there  is  nothing  else  in 
all  the  world  to  use  in  comparison.  My  musings  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  arrival  of  the  train  going  up  to  Assouan,  which 
we  boarded,  and  rode  away  to  see  the  sights  of  another  day. 
The  ruins  of  other  temples  exist — particularly  one  at  Edfoo 
that  we  saw  in  the  distance,  about  ten  in  the  morning,  but 
concluded  not  to  visit  it.  We  were  running  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Nile  and  at  times  where  the  waters  of  the  Nile 
never  reached,  out  on  the  edge  of  desert  lines,  where  there 
never  grew  a  blade  of  grass,  bush  or  tree.  All  or  most  of 
the  villages  were  out  on  those  desert  lands,  with  their  mud 
houses  as  gray  as  the  sand,  and  so  close  together  that  ceme- 
teries between  them  occupied  almost  the  continuous  inter- 
vening space.  The  valley  kept  narrowing,  and  wherever  the 
Nile  water  touched  the  land,  as  its  annual  overflow  passed 
down  the  valley,  the  verdure  of  grass  and  grain  covered  the 
ground,  a  sharp  contrast  between  life  and  death.  Material 
life  everywhere,  birds  on  the  wing,  boats  on  the  river,  men 
in  the  fields,  camels,  asses,  horses  and  women  passing  along 
on  the  country  roads,  ever  moving  and  ever  doing,  if  nothing 
more  than  a  ring  of  men  smoking  or  gambling  by  the  road- 
side. In  some  places  the  shadoofs  were  running  to  lift  the 
water  from  canal  or  river. 

As  we  neared  Assouan,  I  saw  some  villages  entirely  roof- 
less, yet  the  pigeon  roosts  were  built  upon  the  walls.  The 
rocks  on  the  edge  of  the  Arabian  desert  kept  getting  larger 
and  crowding  the  valley  up  close  to  the  river,  and  on  the 
Libyan  side  the  ridges  of  yellow  sand  and  black  rocks  rose 
higher  and  higher.  Then  a  bend  in  the  river  to  the  right  and 
our  train,  taking  a  sort  of  semi-circle  around  the  back  of 
the  houses,  out  in  the  desert,  came  into  the  station  opposite 
Elephantine  island  and  near  the  river  brink,  just  south  of 
the  business  center  of  Assouan.  Great  tents  made  of  Indian 
cotton  cloth,  covered  with  huge  figures  (many  of  them  ani- 
mals) were  erected  to  receive  royalty  in.    This  Indian  cotton 


EIGHT  HUNDRED   MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  249 

calico  is  very  striking,  and  is  used  for  decorating  and  the 
covering  of  fancy  tents.  There  were  Egyptian  flags  every- 
where and  much  bunting,  in  curious  oriental  designs. 

We  found  a  hotel  to  suit  us  and  began  to  look  around. 
The  people  were  on  the  eve  of  some  great  expectation,  the 
whole  town  being  tremulous  with  excitement.  And  no 
wonder,  as  in  two  days  all  the  royalty  of  Egypt,  and  some 
from  England,  were  coming  to  celebrate  the  opening  of  the 
largest  barrage  or  dam  in  the  world.  We  were  at  the  ex- 
treme ■  southern  boundary  of  Egypt,  about  eight  hundred 
miles  up  the  Nile,  and  just  below  the  first  cataract.  Early 
in  the  morning  we  took  some  donkeys  and  a  dragoman, 
starting  as  soon  as  prices  could  be  arranged,  for  a  trip  to 
the  temple  of  Philae  up  in  the  edge  of  Nubia,  the  next  coun- 
try south  of  Egypt.  A  little  over  five  miles  of  sandy  desert 
road  was  before  us.  Passing  the  railroad  station,  we  drove 
directly  away  from  the  river  until  we  left  the  town,  then 
turning  south  we  passed  through  a  large  Mohammedan  ceme- 
tery of  queer  looking  graves. 

Just  where  Egypt  leaves  off  and  Nub'  begins  no  one 
knows,  only  as  you  pass  the  four  miles  of  rapids  on  tht 
river  then  it  is  Nubia.  The  day  was  warm  and  cloudless, 
as  all  the  days  are  here,  and  the  sun  has  great  heating  power 
on  these  dry  desert  sands.  We  were  on  the  main  traveiea 
road  to  the  Soudan  and  Central  Africa,  also  Abyssinia.  We 
met  camels  coming  from  hundreds  of  miles  away,  loaded 
with  ivory,  sienna  leaves  and  other  peculiar  products  of  the 
desert  and  the  Soudan.  I  noticed  that  the  camels  were 
whiter  the  farther  south  we  went.  In  Palestine  they  are 
all  gray. 

With  the  people  from  Syria  to  Nubia,  we  found  that  the 
farther  south  we  went,  the  darker  they  are,  yet  the  real  dark 
negro  race  does  not  live  here  as  a  rule,  until  near  to  equa- 
torial Africa.  We  rode  between  two  ranges  of  rock-clad 
hills,  not  seeing  the  river  or  rapids.  The  rocks  are  a  dark 
granite,  piled  up  in  curious  shapes.  I  have  seen  none  just 
like  them  in  any  other  country.     Speeding  along,  we  emerged 


250  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE    GLOBE. 

from  the  valley  and  came  to  a  little  gulf  of  water,  where,  in 
the  distance,  out  in  the  Nile  and  in  the  reservoir  held  back 
by  the  great  dam,  we  saw  the  temple  of  Philae. 

Hiring  a  dahabeyah  (boat),  we  were  rapidly  driven  by 
the  wind,  as  they  hoisted  a  lateen  sail,  toward  the  "Holy 
Island,"  as  Philae  was  once  known. 

We  soon  reached  the  Temple  of  Philae.  It  is  on  an  isl- 
and of  the  same  name  and  once  its  soil  was  considered  very 
sacred.  With  other  places  it  shared  the  reputation  of  being 
the  burial  place  of  their  great  god  Osiris.  Just  as  Mecca 
is  to  the  religious  Mohammedan  of  today,  so  was  a  visit  to" 
Philae,  and  only  to  be  obtained  by  permission  of  the  relig- 
ious Egyptian  at  one  time.  The  most  solemn  oath  an  Egyp- 
tian could  take  was,  "By  Him  who  sleeps  in  Philae."  The 
farther  south  one  travels  in  Africa  the  less  ancient  are  the 
temples.    This  one,  the  oldest  part,  was  built  about  375  B.  C. 

The  first  place  of  interest  is  called  "Pharaoh's  Bed,"  which 
is  simply  a  little  roofless  temple.  It  stands  on  a  little  plat- 
form and  is  singularly  beautiful  as  to  form  and  sculpture.  We 
enter  the  temple  and  find  many  parts  as  perfect  in  color  of 
painting  and  picture  as  if  time  had  stood  still  for  over  two 
thousand  years.  Some  capitals  are  wreathed  in  the  bud  and 
blossom  of  the  lotus,  with  the  leaves  of  the  papyrus  and  the 
palm.  There  is  also  some  bas-relief  work  that  excites  won- 
der and  admiration  from  every  traveler.  It  is  an  exquisite 
little  sphinx  on  a  pale  red  ground  and  a  line  of  sacred 
hawks  alternating,  white  upon  red,  then  white  upon  blue. 
Many  of  these  are  perfect  pictures  in  polychrome  decoration. 
How  much  better  and  pleasing  it  is  to  see  these  many  won- 
derful sights  in  Egypt  than  to  hear  about  them,  for  in  the 
best  description  one  can  give,  you  must  remember  that  you 
only  get  it  second-handed.  Any  picture  always  becomes  more 
real  and  life-like  when  you  see  the  original.  Of  each  temple 
we  have  seen,  one  could  write  a  volume  about  with  any  at- 
tempt at  detail;  and  even  then  when  you  come  to  Egypt  and 
see  these  vast  structures  you  will  say  "only  one-half  was 
told."     I  will  not  linger  on  detail  of  description,  but  leave 


TKMl'LE    OF    I'UIL.E 

NL'HIA 


EIGHT   HUNDRED   MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  251 

the  beautiful  temple,  the  last  one  we  visited,  and  only  one  of 
many,  situated  in  Nubia.  The  great  barrage  being  full  of 
water,  has  cut  off  and  submerged  most  of  the  island,  as  the 
water  comes  almost  to  the  doors  of  the  temple  when  the 
dam  is  full.  As  our  boat  pushed  away,  it  seemed  strange  to 
see  Miamosa  trees  in  full  leaf  and  the  tops  of  palm  trees, 
just  projecting  their  heads  above  the  water,  and  on  the  sur- 
rounding shores  some  villages  were  abandoned  to  let  the 
uprising  water  take  possession.  We  directed  the  boatmen 
of  the  dahabeyah  to  row  directly  to  the  barrage,  nearly  a  mile 
away,  as  we  had  previousfy  directed  the  donkey  boys  to  meet 
us  there  with  the  donkeys.  We  were  in  a  region  where  the 
Dom  palm  grows,  and  it  does  not  grow  in  Lower  Egypt.  Side 
by  side  with  the  date  palm  I  saw  them  growing,  and  with 
their  shock-headed  crown  of  finger-like  fronds,  hiding  the 
nuts  which  were  as  large  as  Jerusalem  artichokes.  This  is, 
I  think,  the  only  nut  in  the  world  that  one  eats  the  shell 
and  throws  away  the  kernel. 

As  we  glided  through  the  water  with  the  tops  of  small 
rocky  islands  peering  at  us,  I  looked  up  the  Nile  and  re- 
gretted that  we  did  not  have  the  time  to  go  still  farther  south, 
until  we  reached  Khartoum,  in  the  southern  edge  of  Nubia. 
We  could  have  reached  that  city  in  five  and  three-quarter 
days,  while  it  took  General  Kitchener,  with  the  power  of 
the  British  army  behind  him,  thirteen  years  to  reach  Khar- 
toum, not  long  ago. 

We  arrived  at  the  barrage  and  walked  along  the  top  of 
the  largest  dam  in  the  world  to  the  western  end.  I  looked 
up  on  the  small  mountain  tops  of  the  A-ioyan  desert,  so  un- 
like any  other  mountains,  as  these  are  black  boulders  piled 
one  on  top  of  the  other,  and  encompassed  with  drifting  beds 
of  sand,  with  lines  curving  as  gracefully  as  any  snow  drift 
you  ever  saw  in  northern  climes.  I  walked  about  a  mile  to 
the  top  of  the  nearest  ridge  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  one  of  the 
world's  famous  landscapes.  In  places  I  sank  instep  deep  in 
the  yielding  sand,  and  no  one  could  have  told  by  the  track 
whether  it  was  made  by  an  ass  or  a  camel  or  your  humble 


282  A  CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

servant.  In  other  places  the  sand  was  packed  so  hard  that  I 
seemed  to  be  walking  on  yellow  ice,  with  a  slightly  yielding 
surface.  I  saw  the  cataract  and  dam,  the  river,  the  reser- 
voir, the  desert,  and  the  environing  mountains.  Yonder,  al- 
most covered  with  water,  lay  "the  Holy  Island,"  with  its 
temple — ^beautiful,  lifeless,  something  from  the  far  past,  now 
asleep  with  all  its  wealth  of  sculpture,  painting,  poetry,  his- 
tory ana  tradition — one  of  those  scenes  that  is  so  difficult 
to  put  into  words  or  color,  and  at  the  best,  without  its  at- 
mosphere of  association,  and  a  sky  that  is  ever  cloudless, 
were  I  to  attempt  any  farther  description,  it  would  simply 
be  no  better  than  a  catalogue. 

I  retraced  my  steps,  recrossed  the  dam  and,  finding  our 
donkeys  awaiting  us,  we  rode  away.  Before  reaching  As- 
souan the  sun  set  behind  the  little  craggy  peaks  of  bottomless 
mountains  out  on  the  Libyan  desert,  and  I  watched  for  the 
after  glow,  as  nowhere  else  in  our  travels  around  the  world 
have  I  seen  such  ethereal  light  and  shade,  in  the  different 
colors,  as  thrown  from  the  sky.  It  came,  and  in  the  colors 
of  pink,  violet,  amber  and  gold,  diffused  all  over  the  varied 
landscape  around  me,  there  arose  a  ruddy  glow,  shading  all 
the  other  colors  with  such  an  opalesque  tenderness  of  tone 
that  it  seemed  to  me  I  was  not  on  a  little  piece  of  this  earth 
any  more,  but  was  in  some  region  of  immortality  and  light. 

I  think  that  this  vast  desert  of  yellow  drifting  sand  that 
the  sun  continues  to  shed  its  traveling  light  over  after  sunset, 
catches  the  rays  of  the  light  and  by  some  opaque  method  un- 
known to  me  transfers  its  brilliance  to  earth  and  sky,  with 
no  falling  dew  to  blind  or  blur  its  passage  through  the  air. 
This  unwonted  brilliance  is  unknown  even  in  California, 
where  many  of  these  conditions  of  air  and  desert  are  the 
same.  Another  surprising  feature  was  its  continuance,  far 
longer  than  I  have  seen  in  any  other  corresponding  latitude. 

As  we  arrived  in  Assouan,  all  the  streets  were  hung  with 
flags  and  bunting,  strung  on  long  lines,  and  many  thousands 
of  lanterns  with  four  glass  sides  of  different  colors,  and  all 
having  a  candle  in  them,  were  hung  over  the  buildings.    Sev- 


i 


EIGHT   HUNDRED   MILES   UP  THE   NILE.  253 

eral  great  triumphal  arches  were  erected,  and  about  a  score 
of  steamers  were  anchored  in  the  river,  and  three  of  them 
had  red  cloth  laid  up  sloping  stairways  to  the  main  street — 
running  along  the  river  bank.  All  these  steamers  had 
rows  of  bright  flags  on  each  mast  and  in  rows  from  fore  to 
aft.  We  ate  our  supper  and  walked  on  the  street.  All  the 
candle"  lanterns  were  lit,  each  steamship  was  dazzling  with 
light,  an  Egyptian  band  was  playing  on  the  bank  of  the  Nile, 
dogs  were  barking,  cafes  were  open,  some  rooms  were  filled 
with  dancing  girls,  donkeys  with  men  on  them  were  racing 
along,  a  few  carriages  running  to  and  fro,  thousands  of 
Egyptians  with  a  scattering  of  almost  every  Occidental  race 
under  the  sun  were  walking  along  the  street;  a  large  hotel 
across  the  river  on  Elephantine  island  sparkling  from  roof 
to  ground  with  electric  light,  other  steamers  moored  over 
the  river— all  illuminated — together  with  e  lights  of  the 
hotel  casting  sparkling  reflections  on  the  moving  current ;  the 
stars  and  the  slowly  growing  crescent  moon  shining  overhead 
— all  this  will  give  you  a  partial  idea  of  how  Assouan  looked 
on  the  eve  of  the  greatest  celebration  in  her  history. 


VIII. 


tgi(pt  and  Jndia. 


Today,  December  lo,  1902,  marks  one  of  the  greatest  events 
in  Egyptian  history — the  opening  of  the  Assouan  dam,  lo- 
cated about  eight  hundred  miles  up  the  river  Nile  on  the  first 
cataract.  The  cost  of  this  dam,  which  is  one  and  one-quarter 
miles  long  and  as  straight  as  a  bee  line  from  bank  to  bank, 
is  about  $16,500,000.  It  is  estimated  that  it  will  irrigate 
about  530,000  acres  of  land.  We  walked  the  entire  length 
twice,  on  the  top,  which  is  twenty-three  feet  wide.  Each  side 
has  a  parapet  built  of  solid  masonry  about  three  feet  wide 
ana  the  same  in  height.  On  one  side  of  the  remaining  width 
is  a  car  track,  narrow  gauge,  and  on  the  other  side  is  a  row 
of  double  geared  heavy  gate  or  sluice  openers,  built  in  Ip- 
swich, England.  There  are  one  hundred  and  eighty  of  them 
about  thirty  feet  apart.  One  hundred  and  forty  of  these 
sluices  are  twenty-three  feet  high  by  six  feet  and  a  half 
wide.  The  other  forty  sluices  are  upper  ones,  i.  e.,  about 
twenty  feet  higher,  and  are  eleven  feet  and  one-half  inch  by 
six  feet  and  one-half  inch  wide. 

Its  greatest  width  at  the  bottom  is  one  hundred  feet,  and 
its  maximum  height  is  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet.  Aver- 
age width  about  sixty-five  feet.  The  level  of  the  water  above 
the  dam  is  raised  about  forty-six  feet,  and  it  is  said  reaches 
up  the  river,  before  there  is  any  current,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles.  The  amount  of  water  stored  is  estimated  at 
about  1,500,000,000  cubic  yards.  The  greatest  depth  of  water 
on  the  dam  in  the  lowest  channel  is  about  sixty-five  feet. 


X 
«    H 

O    h 


EGYPT  AND  INDIA.  2S5 

The  number  of  men  employed  in  its  construction  averaged 
about  ten  thousand,  mostly  Egyptians.  The  stone  cutters 
came  from  Italy.  The  contract  for  finishing  allowed  five 
years.  The  work  has  been  completed  in  four  years.  Sev- 
enty-four thousand  tons  of  Portland  cement  and  ten  thou- 
sand tons  of  iron  are  used  in  the  construction.  It  also  took 
twenty-eight  thousand  tons  of  coal. 

Securing  our  tickets  of  admission  to  the  "barrage,"  as  it 
is  named  here,  which  were  given  to  us  through  courtesy, 
because  we  were  Americans,  we  wended  our  way  on  donkeys 
from  Assouan  to  the  dam,  distance  about  four  miles,  arriv- 
ing there  about  i  o'clock. 

In  forty-five  minutes  more  the  entrance  would  be  closed  to 
all  except  royalty  and  a  few  invited  guests.  A  temporary 
railroad  station  was  erected  near  the  east  end  of  the  dam, 
with  a  sloping  gangway  of  about  one  hundred  yards,  covered 
with  red  cloth,  leading  to  the  top.  Small  trolley  platform  cars 
were  in  waiting  to  carry  everybody  for  a  small  charge  to  the 
west  end,  where  the  laying  of  the  last  stone  was  to  take  place. 
We  walked  over  to  see  the  surroundings.  About  thirty  of 
the  one  hundred  and  eighty  gates  were  open,  most  of  them 
on  the  lower  tier,  and  simply  represented  the  flow  of  the 
river  at  this  time,  as  the  dam  had  been  allowed  to  fill  with 
water  several  days  before.  The  rush  of  the  water  coming 
out  of  these  sluices  made  a  roar  like  a  small  Niagara,  and 
the  water  went  dashing  down  the  rapids  below,  in  and  around 
rocks,  little  islets,  tumbling  and  tossing  about  with  power 
enough,  if  harnessed,  to  turn  all  the  mills  Egypt  or  England 
will  ever  need.  About  five  of  '^'  e  upper  gates  were  open  in 
one  place,  and  the  way  the  water  shot  out  into  space  as  it 
sought  the  channel  below  was  the  prettiest  sight  I  ever  saw. 
We  were  really  in  the  edge  of  Nubia,  as  Assouan  marks  the 
southern  limit  of  Upper  Egypt.  Over  on  the  little  rocky 
islands  below  the  dam  were  some  Nubians  living  who  could 
swim  these  strong  roaring  rapids  as  easily  as  a  fish.  I  saw 
one  Nubian  have  a  fish  three  feet  long  that  he  was  playing 
with  in  a  pool  of  water.     Above  the  dam  were  islands  and 


256  A    CALIFORNrAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

palm  trees  with  their  tops  sticking  out  of  the  water.  The 
extent  of  the  water  surface  in  sight  was  not  large ;  the  im- 
mense quantity  is  gained  by  extending  up  the  river  so  far. 
The  Temple  of  Isis  on  the  partly  submerged  island  of  Philae 
was  visible,  marking  the  length  of  the  lake  above  with  nu- 
merous islands  nearer.  Just  the  tops  of  rocky  hills  visible 
above  the  water.  Out  on  the  parapet  of  the  dam  at  two  places 
in  crossing,  on  the  lower  side,  little  platforms  were  made  to 
allow  royalty  a  view  of  the  wondrous  whirl  of  rushing  wat- 
ers from  the  side  of  the  dam  below.  We  lingered  some  time 
at  these  places  looking  at  the  dashing  force  of  these  waters 
in  passing  out  of  such  large  sluice  ways.  The  sluices  are 
lined  with  heavy  granite  ashlar  or  cast  iron.  We  stationed 
ourselves  near  the  cornerstone  and  watched  the  people  gath- 
er. At  3  o'clock  the  firing  of  twenty  shots  from  four  can- 
non at  the  east  end  of  the  bridge  announced  the  arrival  of 
the  Khedive  of  Egypt,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Connaught 
(the  King  of  England's  brother)  and  many  others  on  a  spe- 
cial train  from  Assouan.  The  little  trolley  cars  pushed  by, 
gayly  dressed  Nubians  came  whizzing  over  the  dam.  Royalty, 
many  ladies,  all  the  Egyptian  ministry,  English  generals  and 
their  invited  guests  all  gathered  near  the  great  corner  stone. 
The  ladies  wore  elegant  costumes,  and  all  the  gentlemen  of 
royalty  were  clothed  in  full  military  array.  Diamonds 
sparkled  in  the  sunlight,  and  altogether  under  these  ever 
cloudless  skies  of  Africa  it  was  a  notable  gathering.  I  was 
surprised  to  hear  no  music,  although  each  night  in  Assouan 
an  Egyptian  band  played  nicely.  About  one  thousand  people 
were  present;  about  one-half  Europeans,  mostly  English  and 
French,  and  the  other  half  Egyptians.  Among  them  were 
included  these  two  rambling  Americans,  a  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Sun,  and  I  think  the  American  consul  of 
Cairo.  Over  to  the  right  on  the  slope  of  the  hills  sat  about 
two  thousand  Egyptians,  as  motionless  as  sphinxes.  After 
courteous  bows  and  tip  of  the  fingers  hand-shaking,  the  cere- 
monies commenced.  Not  a  word  of  prayer  or  a  bit  of 
music,  simply  a  little  formal  address  by  Fakry  Pasha,  Min- 


DUKE  AND  DUCHESS  OF  CONNAUGHT  AND  KHEDIVE  OF  EGYPT 

IN    ATTENDANCE  AT  OPENING  OF  ASSOUAN  DAM,  DEC.  10,  1902. 

(First  group  of  three.) 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  257 

ister  of  Public  Works,  and  in  response  the  Khedive  replied 
in  a  few  words,  using  the  French  language.  Then  the  Duke 
of  Connaugkt  spoke  a  few  moments,  after  which  a  silver 
trowel  was  handed  to  the  Duchess  of  Connaught,  to  lay  the 
stone  with,  and  after  that  three  cheers.  Five  of  the  great 
gates  of  the  upper  tier  near  these  ceremonies  had  been  belted 
with  electric  power,  and  just  then  the  Khedive  of  Egypt,  by 
using  a  silver  key,  turned  on  the  electric  current,  and  as 
these  five  gates  swung  open,  the  volume  of  water  rushing 
from  the  dam  made  the  very  ground  tremble,  a  surging  and 
seething  mass  of  water,  throwing  itself  against  the  rocks 
below,  with  thundering  reverberations  as  the  spray  dashed 
itself  high  in  the  air. 

There  is  a  canal  with  five  locks  running  just  through  the 
west  edge  of  the  dam  by  the  side  of  this  last  stone  laid. 
Then  one  of  these  lock  gates,  the  largest  single  leaf  gate  in 
the  world,  was  opened,  and  as  the  great  bascule  girders  rose 
into  the  air,  some  boats  decked  out  in  gay  colors  passed 
through  the  canal.  The  opening  of  the  greatest  dam  in 
the  world  was  over.  Royalty  retired  as  twenty-one  more 
discharges  of  cannon  occurred,  and  we  rode  our  two  don- 
keys back  to  Assouan  in  the  mystery  of  moonlight. 

We  visited  the  granite  quarries,  where  all  the  obelisks  ana 
many  pillars  and  the  stone  for  a  number  of  statues  were 
quarried.  Passing  again  through  the  Mohammedan  cemetery 
back  of  Assouan,  which  covers  more  ground  than  the  town 
does,  and  keeping  straight  out  toward  the  east,  we  soon  came 
to  the  old  quarries.  By  easily  traceable  marks  these  large 
red  granite  blocks  were  split  out  of  the  quarry  by  wooden 
wedges.  A  tier  of  holes  was  cut  into  the  rock  in  a  row, 
wooden  wedges  were  then  fitted  and  saturated  with  water, 
simply  splitting  the  rock  out  by  the  force  of  expansion. 

We  were  interested  in  looking  at  one  obelisk  partly  cut 
out,  and  if  this  huge  monolith  had  been  finished  it  would 
have  been  the  largest  one  in  the  world,  as  it  measured  ninety- 
five  feet  long  and  eleven  feet  square  at  the  base.     Perhaps 


258  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE    GLOBE. 

some  king  intended  to  set  up  the  largest  obelisk  and  died 
before  the  work  could  be  accomplishea. 

As  we  were  walking  from  quarry  to  quarry,  a  carriage 
drove  up  and  a  richly  dressed  gentleman  in  flowing  robes 
of  silk  alighted,  accompanied  by  several  attendants  and  a 
few  young  men  who  were  running  along  behind  the  carriage. 
Wondering  who  it  was,  I  asked  one  of  the  young  men,  who 
could  talk  English.  He  replied,  "He  is  the  big  padre  of  the 
Copts."  I  knew  from  his  reply  that  he  was  the  bishop  of 
the  Coptic  church,  residing  in  Cairo  at  the  head  of  nd  rep- 
resenting the  survival  of  the  early  Christian  church  once 
planted  in  Alexandria,  but  I  fear  only  in  form,  letter  and 
ceremony  in  its  continuance. 

Over  on  some  black  craggy  rocks  were  some  birds  as  large 
as  turkeys  and  white  in  color.  They  were  simply  buzzards 
with  white  feathers  on  them,  beautiful  to  look  at,  as  men 
and  women  are  sometimes,  yet  repulsive  in  their  aim  and 
object 

We  rode  away  and  could  easily  trace  the  causeway,  over 
which  these  great  stones  were  dragged  to  the  Nile,  as  many 
of  these  monoliths  of  rock  were  transported  hundreds  of 
miles,  and  some  were  found  in  Palestine  and  Baalbec.  We 
wended  our  way  to  the  station  and  booked  for  Cairo. 

Our  train  left  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  with  ever 
varying  interest  I  occupied  the  time  all  the  day  long  in 
Uoking  on  the  river,  and  the  many  steamers  sailing  away 
from  Assouan,  the  people  getting  in  and  out  of  the  train, 
the  country  stations  full  of  bustle  and  throngs  of  quecrly 
dressed  people,  and  the  large  number  of  passengers  getting 
off  and  on  the  train,  traveling  third  class. 

In  many  of  the  villages  in  Upper  Egypt  thousands  of  the 
"fellaheen"  live  in  mud  houses  not  much  larger  than  the 
prairie  dogs  occupy  in  Colorado,  and  their  ever  present  pig- 
eon roost  is  almost  as  large  as  the  house  and  always  located 
on  top  of  the  dwelling.  I  could  see  their  hens  pecking  and 
scratching,  their  babies  crawling  on  all  fours,  the  women 
cooking  in  mud  bake  ovens  out  of  doors,  and  the  men  sit- 


EGYPT  AND  INDIA.  259 

ting  around  or  asleep  in  some  shady  corner.  In  the  air 
overhead  the  birds  were  flying,  the  sun  was  shining  out  of  a 
cloudless  sky,  the  air  was  stirred  by  soft  summer  breezes, 
like  the  rippling  waves  on  a  peaceful  sea,  yet  inside  oui  car 
there  arose  stifling  clouds  of  dust,  making  us  emit  mournful 
sighs,  yet  we  either  had  to  travel  or  fly. 

As  the  train  ambled  along,  I  remembered  how  persistent 
the  scarab  sellers  were  at  Thebes  and  Memphis  in  selling 
their  (more  than  likely  home  manufactured)  scarabs;  then 
I  wondered  why  these  old  Egyptians  had  scarabs  put  in  their 
tombs  at  the  time  of  their  burial.  The  present  value  of  a 
scarab  is  supposed  to  be  in  their  antiquity,  and  because  they 
were  found  in  some  tomb.  I  then  asked  myself  why  "a  scarab 
was  put  in  an  Egyptian  grave."  As  you  know,  it  simply 
represents  a  beetle,  and  the  old  story,  although  often  told,  is 
sometimes  new  to  a  few.  This  is  the  story:  The  Egyptian 
beetle,  as  black  as  a  crow  and  almost  an  inch  long,  would 
roll  up  a  lump  of  clay  on  the  brink  of  the  Nile,  after  laying 
its  eggs  on  the  clay  for  a  nucleus,  until  the  lump  v  ouM  be 
three  or  four  times  as  large  as  the  molder.  Then,  with  un- 
wearied patience,  he  would  roll  this  rissole  up  steep  inclines, 
until  it  was  beyond  the  level  of  the  next  annual  overflow 
of  the  Nile,  and  in  the  edge  of  the  desert  would  bury  it  in 
the  sand.  When  his  time  came  he'd  die  content,  as  1"^  h:A 
provided  for  his  successors.  Out  of  all  this  came  his  mystic 
fame,  and  the  old  Egyptians  came  to  regard  him  as  an  em- 
blem, not  only  as  a  creative  power,  but  of  the  immortality  of 
the  soul.  He  became  a  hieroglyph  and  his  meaning  was  "To 
Be  and  to  Transform."  His  picture  was  sculptured  on  their 
temples,  placed  on  the  shoulders  of  their  gods,  painted  on 
their  sarcophagi  and  tombs,  pictured  on  their  jewels,  worn 
by  the  living,  and  buried  with  the  dead.  No  insect  ever  had 
such  greatness  or  fame  thrust  upon  him.  It  is  easy  for 
the  Egyptian  of  today  to  carve  out  imitations,  to  embellish, 
to  glaze  them,  and  then  feed  them  to  some  turkeys  in  the 
form  of  a  bolus,  and  after  digestion  they  will  look  as  old 
and  venerable  as  if  they  had  laid  with  the  dead  in  a  tomb  for 
thousands  of  years. 


aw  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

The  next  morning  to  our  surprise  as  we  passed  the  site 
of  Memphis,  we  saw  that  the  lakes  of  water  were  gone,  and 
the  farmer  was  commencing  on  the  dryest  places  to  plant  the 
seeds  for  a  coming  harvest.  At  9  o'clock  as  we  entered  Cairo 
we  were  tired,  dust-begrimed  and  hungry,  having  smothered 
twenty- four  hours  in  a  cage  filled  with  dust.  One  day  we 
visited  the  most  interesting  museum  in  the  world,  the  one 
in  Cairo.  Words  cannot  convey  to  you  my  impression  or 
an  adequate  description  of  this  glimpse  into  the  distant  past, 
this  touch  of  sight  with  the  features  of  men  and  women 
who  lived  thousands  of  years  ago;  this  sense  of  s-hortness 
of  life,  as  I  looked  back  over  the  almost  countless  genera- 
tions of  men  and  women  who  have  passed — ^just  like  a  hair 
breadth  of  space  for  each  one. 

Soon  after  entering  the  museum  I  went  to  the  room  where 
the  Egyptian  kings  are,  some  of  the  greatest  and  many  of 
the  veritable  ones  of  history.  I  found  them.  There  lay 
the  mummied  body  of  Rameses  the  Great,  known  as  II,  the 
king  who  reigned  sixty-six  years  about  1400  B.  C.  He  was 
the  Pharaoh  reigning  when  Moses  was  born.  He  was  the 
greatest  builder  of  history,  as  we  have  seen  in  so  many  tem- 
ples where  his  cartouch  and  statue  seem  to  be  everywhere. 
He  used  the  Israelites  in  his  service  to  make  brick,  and  in- 
creased their  tasks,  yet  the  straw  was  withholden  by  his  suc- 
cessor, Menepthah,  who  was  the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus, 
reigning  about  twenty  years.  There  he  lay,  the  greatest  of 
Egyptian  kings,  with  features  almost  perfect,  of  medium  size, 
the  mummified  skin  just  about  the  color  of  Eg3T)tians  of  to- 
day, his  toes  and  toe  nails  as  perfect  as  the  day  he  died.  His 
hair  was  gray  and  the  cast  of  his  face  showed  great  deter- 
mination, boldness  and  energy.  The  last  forty-six  years  of 
his  reign  was  a  time  of  peace,  and  he  had  millions  of  slaves 
dragging  these  great  stones  and  erecting  the  greatest  temples, 
statues  and  monuments  in  the  world.  He  deified  himself  to 
become  the  Seostris  of  Egyptian  history.  On  one  side  of  his 
sarcophagus  is  the  mummy  of  his  father,  Seti  I,  a  man  of 
pinched  face,  smaller,  a  countenance  that  would  not  partic- 


EGYPT  AND  INDIA.  261 

ularly  interest  any  one.  On  the  other  side  lay  in  his  sar- 
cophagus (immense  stone  coffins)  the  mummy  of  Rameses 
III,  the  richest  king  of  Egypt's  history.  We  saw  his  tomb 
at  Thebes  (also  the  others)  and  on  its  walls  were  represented 
elegant  gold  and  silver  vases,  shirts  of  mail,  cushioned 
thrones  and  sofas.  He  died  believing  that  his  soul  would 
come  back  and  reoccupy  his  mummied  body. 

Another  king,  Thotmes  III,  lay  in  his  coffin  and,  like  all 
the  rest,  was  partly  unwrapped.  He  was  buried  about  1600 
B.  C  We  saw  priests,  queens,  kings — many  of  them  with 
their  names  given,  and  wandered  from  room  to  room  where 
many  scores  of  mummies  are  to  be  seen.  One  man,  evidently 
a  priest,  had  a  mass .  of  beautiful  hair  and  apparently  died 
young.  The  queens  all  had  distinctive  feminine  faces.  All 
their  mummy  cases  were  here,  some  in  delicate  tints  of  color, 
all  of  them  representing  some  form  of  life  or  event,  either 
occurring  in  the  life  of  the  person  or  expected  to  after  death. 

In  one  of  the  large  rooms  were  many  glass  cases  contain- 
ing jewels,  rare  chains  and  gems.  In  one  case  were  the 
jewels  of  one  queen  discovered  in  1894,  who  was  buried  in 
a  tomb  over  four  thousand  years  ago ;  a  necklace  of  gold 
shells,  ornaments  for  the  breast,  cosmetic  boxes  in  cornelian, 
and  many  curious  looking  chains.  It  is  useless  to  describe 
all  I  saw,  as  where  one  can  make  no  comparison  it  is  hard 
to  convey  an  adequate  description.  I  will  simply  mention 
that  the  mummies  are  the  great  attraction  of  the  museum, 
yet  there  are  old  boats  once  used  to  carry  dead  kings  across 
the  Nile,  boats  and  crew  in  gold  and  silver,  mirrors  of  gilt 
bronze  overlaid  with  gold  leaf,  and  thousands  of  articles 
gathered  out  of  the  past.  How  interesting  to  look  back 
thousands  of  years  and  see  how  these  kings  and  queens  lived, 
and  by  picture,  inscription  and  writing  learn  something  of 
their  thoughts. 

We  left  the  museum  thinking  how  strange  it  was  that 
these  kings  were  buried  in  their  rock  tombs  so  many  years 
ago,  and  now  their  bodies  so  wonderfully  preserved  by  their 
skill  and  art  of  embalming  are  seen  at  this  day  and  time. 


262  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE    GLOBE. 

Then  I"  remember  that  the  papyrus  used  to  grow  in  Egypt, 
and  now  it  is  not  found  there  any  more.  Isaiah  prophesied 
in  Chapter  9:7  that  the  papyrus  should  wither  and  "be  no 
more."  Ezekiel  also  prophesied  in  the  thirtieth  chapter  that 
God  would  "destroy  the  idols — there  shall  be  no  more  a  prince 
of  the  land  of  Egypt."  Then  in  the  chapter  preceding  this 
the  prophet  says :  "I  will  make  the  land  of  Egypt  utterly 
waste  and  desolate  from  the  tower  of  Syene  even  unto  the 
border  of  Ethiopia,"  all  of  which  has  been  fulfilled,  as  the 
word  Syene  simply  means  modern  Assouan,  and  all  the 
quarrying  done  there  was  called  Syene  granite  in  ancient 
times.  How  wonderfully  true  all  of  the  prophecies  of  the 
Bible  are,  and  as  all  that  relates  to  the  past  has  been  so  sig- 
nally fulfilled,  so  will  those  prophecies  that  relate  to  the 
future,  as  all  unfulfilled  prophecy  is  simply  written  history. 

We  drove  to  the  railroad  station  and  booked  our  passage 
to  Port  Said.  There  are  many  strange  things  carried  out 
of  Egypt,  as  on  the  train  from  Assouan  I  saw  among  the 
personal  luggage  ancient  mummied  aligators  and  crocodiles, 
canes  made  of  hippopotamus  hide,  also  riding  whips,  Abys- 
sinian and  Soudan  spears,  and  date  palm  lunch  baskets.  Of 
course  these  things  were  too  large  or  long  to  get  inside  the 
parcels  of  luggage.  We  also  picked  up  an  extra  satchel  full 
of  curious  things  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Our  train  passed  through  the  Land  of  Goshen,  a  beauti- 
ful fertile  land,  thickly  settled,  with  many  cattle,  some 
sheep  and  goats,  all  either  herded  or  "staked  out."  It  was 
market  day  and  it  seemed  that  all  the  country  people  were 
gathering  in  the  larger  villages,  with  a  little  of  all  their 
products  for  sale.  How  picturesque  they  looked  as  we  saw 
them  hurrying  along  the  country  roads,  afoot,  astride  of  an 
ass  or  camel,  many  of  them  with  a  bit  of  something  to  sell. 

As  we  left  the  lands  overflowed  by  the  Nile,  it  became 
desert,  and  except  on  the  sides  of  a  small  canal,  we  were 
following  along,  there  was  no  verdure  or  trees.  This  canal 
runs  from  the  Nile  to  Port  Said  to  supply  that  city,  also 
Ishmalia.  with  fresh  water.     At  Tel  el  Kirber,  a  small  vil- 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  263 

lage,  we  were  much  interested  in  its  surroundings  and  Eng- 
lish cemetery,  as  here  a  few  years  ago  14,000  English  troops 
defeated  the  Turkish  and  Egyptian  forces  of  24,000,  and  ever 
after  England  has  had  a  hold  on  Egypt,  diplomatically  called 
a  suzerainty.  We  soon  saw,  off  to  the  right,  some  low  ridges 
of  sand  and  an  occasional  ship  sailing,  with  no  water  in 
sight,  looking  like  phantom  ships  traversing  over  this  desert 
waste.  They  were  in  the  Suez  canal,  floating  along  like  birds 
on  the  wing.  At  Ishmalia  we  changed  trains,  taking  a  narrow 
gauge  road. 

Ishmalia  is  a  small  place,  and  its  importance  is  in  being 
a  half-way  station  between  Suez  and  Port  Said,  and  in 
DeLesseps'  time  it  was  his  headquarters  when  the  canal  was 
being  excavated.  Only  a  dreary  waste  of  desert  each  side, 
with  now  and  then  an  Arab  tent  or  hovel,  and  a  few  trees 
planted  along  the  canal. 

Dredgers  are  at  work  in  the  canal,  gradually  widening  it 
so  that  in  time  two  ships  can  pass,  as  now  they  can  only  do 
so  at  certain  stations.  We  soon  came  to  only  a  narrow 
strip  of  land,  and  at  the  left  were  great  areas  of  salt  or 
bitter  water  lakes,  and  there  were  thousands  of  snipe  and 
ducks  swimming  around  in  large  flocks.  It  was  after  dark 
before  we  arrived  at  Port  Said,  a  city  of  over  25,000  popula- 
tion, and  not  a  single  thing  of  any  kind — fruit,  vegetables 
or  grain — raised  within  many  miles  of  the  city. 

For  nearly  four  days  we  were  compelled  to  stay  in  Port 
Said  before  we  could  sail  for  India.  Our  accumulation  of 
curious  things  in  Egypt,  curtains  from  Damascus,  silk  from 
Lebanon,  a  long  list  of  many  articles  from  Jerusalem,  and 
with  many  things  picked  up  in  Europe,  compelled  us  to  box 
and  bundle  and  ship  on  a  Japanese  freight  steamer  to  Yoko- 
hama, 8000  miles  across  the  seas  from  Port  Said,  costing  us 
two  English  pounds  sterling. 

Mission  work  is  very  discouraging,  as  the  missionaries 
are  not  allowed  to  have  any  street  meetings.  Rents  are  very 
high  and  the  city  is  as  wicked  as  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  ever 
were.    A  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Locke,  who  have  been  there  thirteen 


264  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

years,  are  doing  the  most  in  mission  work.  The  British 
naval  ships  compel  their  men  to  attend  church  each  Sunday, 
and  they  get  all  those  who  belong  to  no  church  when  any 
warship  is  in  the  anchorage.  The  Peniel  Mission  seems  to 
be  educating  or  training  some  boys  and  girls. 

The  men  on  American  transport  ships  have  the  reputation 
of  drinking  more  than  those  of  other  nations  when  they  go 
ashore.  We  booked  on  the  Arabia  to  Bombay  of  the  Penin- 
sular and  Oriental  line,  and  were  compelled  to  pay  thirty- 
four  pounds  English  sterling  each,  while  others  on  the 
same  steamer  only  paid  thirty-eight  pounds  from  London. 
We  were  much  interested  during  our  stay  in  Port  Said  in 
looking  at  the  ships  as  they  came  and  went,  several  each 
day  from  many  of  the  nations.  Some  of  them  were  loaded 
with  soldiers,  including  a  French,  Russian  and  English  ship. 

Promptly  at  noon  the  steamer  hove  its  anchor  and  sailed 
Steamers  are  only  allowed  to  sail  four  and  one-half  miles 
an  hour  through  the  Suez  canal,  and  each  steamer  is  required 
to  have  a  pilot. 

We  were  sailing  through  the  greatest  gateway  of  the  na- 
tions, one  that  all  nations  use  who  send  any  ships  over  the 
seas.  I  watched  Port  Said  as  we  sailed  away,  one  of  the 
most  peculiar  cities  of  the  world,  made  up  from  all  nations, 
yet  there  are  many  French  people  living  there. 

I  asked  the  steward  for  a  copy  of  the  passenger  list  and 
was  taken  by  surprise.  There  were  on  board  three  dukes, 
three  duchesses,  three  earls,  eight  lords,  seven  sir-knights 
and  fourteen  titled  ladies,  to  say  nothing  of  thirty-seven 
army  and  navy  officers,  two  countesses,  one  baron  and  one 
baroness.    And  there  was  a  German  prince  as  well. 

A  London  paper  that  came  in  by  the  way  of  Brindisi,  being 
printed  after  the  ship  sailed  from  London,  said  there  was 
never  a  ship  on  any  sea  before  that  sailed  with  as  much 
royalty  aboard  as  the  Arabia.  Had  the  London  editor  known 
who  intended  to  get  aboard  the  steamer  at  Port  Said,  he 
could  have  added  to  his  list  of  royalty,  "two  children  of 
THE  KING." 


EGYPT  AND  INDIA.  265 

It  was  the  last  steamer  leaving  England  whose  passen- 
gers could  reach  India  in  time  to  attend  the  Delhi  Durbar. 
This  steamer's  tonnage  is  about  8000  tons,  consuming  eighty 
tons  of  coal  each  day,  and  some  days  we  sailed  four  hundred 
miles. 

Each  hour  of  the  day  was  full  of  interest,  as  we  met  other 
ships,  passing  dredgers  at  work,  looking  at  the  desert  sands 
or  salt  lakes ;  and  it  seemed  wonderful  to  be  gliding  along 
with  such  a  large  ship,  over  such  a  narrow  ribbon-like  stretch 
of  water.  After  sunset  we  passed  Ishmalia,  and  into  a  large 
lake  of  deep  water,  and  there  anchored,  while  seven  ships 
with  electric  lights  in  front  almost  as  bright  as  searchlights, 
came  from  the  canal  toward  Suez  and  passed  by  at  intervals 
of  a  few  minutes  each. 

Mail  boats  have  the  preference,  and  these  ships  had  been 
waiting  for  the  Arabia.  As  I  came  on  deck  in  the  early 
morning  light  we  were  approaching  Suez  at  the  southern 
terminus  of  the  canal.  The  place  is  not  as  important  as  Port 
Said,  and  quite  away  from  the  canal,  as  the  open  water  of 
the  Gulf  of  Suez  commences  here. 

As  we  sailed  down  the  gulf  I  noticed  only  a  few  miles 
away  a  quite  high  mountain  rising  abruptly  from  the  shore, 
with  a  connecting  range  of  mountains  running  into  the  in- 
terior. This  is  the  most  northerly  mountain  in  this  part 
of  Africa,  and  it  is  very  striking  in  appearance.  In  the 
morning  sunlight  it  shone  forth  in  great  brilliancy.  Just  a 
little  to  the  north  of  this  mountain  and  its  range  is  another 
range  of  hills,  forming  between  the  two  a  little  valley  or 
passageway  to  the  sea.  Just  here  is  the  probable  crossing 
place  of  the  Israelites,  the  sea  being  several  miles  wide 
and  quite  deep.  You  will  remember  the  story,  as  the  Israel- 
ites were  not  allowed  to  travel  the  usual  way  of  today,  via 
Gaza,  around  the  head  of  the  Red  Sea,  but  were  told  to  "turn 
and  encamp  before  Pihahiroth,  between  Migdol  and  the  sea, 
over  against  Baal-zephon;  before  it  ye  shall  encamp  by  the 
sea."     (Exodus  14:2.) 

The  word  Baal-zephon  means  a  mountain  or  watch  tower 


266  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

of  the  north,  and  without  doubt  refers  to  this  tall  mountain 
that  I  could  see  by  the  edge  of  the  sea. 

The  very  word  Suez  literally  means  "destruction,"  and 
comes  down  in  tradition  from  the  past.  About  twelve  miles 
from  Suez,  on  the  Asiatic  side,  is  the  well  of  Moses,  still 
called  by  that  name.  From  a  further  description  in  the  books 
of  Exodus  and  Numbers,  the  entire  account  agrees  with  this 
place  as  the  probable  crossing.  About  noon  I  walked  on  the 
promenade  deck.  We  were  on  the  Red  sea,  ploughing  our 
way  along  in  the  center,  the  entire  width  of  the  sea  being 
about  sixty  miles.  The  contour  of  the  mountains  in  both 
Asia  and  Africa  is  peculiar  and  handsome.  The  weather 
was  cool,  even  real  chilly.  There  was  just  a  suspicion  of 
fleecy  clouds,  floating  lazily  over  land  and  sea.  Toward 
evening  we  saw  Mt.  Sinai,  but  only  its  top,  as  there  were 
other  mountains  in  front,  with  an  altitude  of  8500  feet,  while 
Mt.  Sinai  is  about  1000  feet  lower  and  only  visible  through 
a  gap  in  the  mountains  at  one  place.  These  mountains  are 
several  miles  inland  from  the  Red  Sea,  the  region  in  front 
being  called  the  "Wilderness  of  Sin."  Over  in  Africa,  fac- 
ing Mt.  Sinai,  are  some  remarkable  looking  mountains,  tall, 
sharp,  treeless,  abrupt  and  clothed  in  various  colors,  beautiful 
to  look  at  because  of  a  non-resemblance  to  other  mountains. 
At  sunset,  with  Mt.  Sinai  still  in  sight  and  all  of  its  sur- 
rounding mountains  aglow  with  tinted  colors,  and  these 
beautiful  African  mountains  standing  like  sentinels  against 
the  clear,  crimson  sky,  there  came  to  me  a  feeling  of  the 
perfect  and  eternal  fitness  of  things,  of  how  God  chooses 
the  very  best  places  to  manifest  Himself  in,  as  I  know  of 
no  place  so  inspiring,  no  country  or  mountains  so  untram- 
meled  by  any  of  the  arts  of  man,  no  region  where  the  scenery 
is  more  grand  than  in  and  about  this  Sinai  peninsula. 

On  this  continent  of  Asia,  the  greatest  in  the  world,  con- 
nected with  Europe  as  one,  facing  Africa,  and  looking  out 
toward  the  islands  of  the  seas  and  beyond  to  America,  was 
the  Law  proclaimed  from  this  mountain  top.  Could  there 
be  a  more  fitting  place? 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  267 

It  is  said  that  to  the  north  of  Sinai  is  a  sloping  plain,  suf- 
ficiently large  for  all  the  hosts  of  Israel  to  assemble  on; 
and  as  I  again  looked  at  its  rounded  peak,  with  such  jagged 
mountains  in  front,  all  lit  up  with  the  afterglow  of  a  brilliant 
sunset,  there  came  to  me  a  consciousness  that  Grod  "doeth 
all  things  well,"  and  by  selecting  this  mountain  top  for  the 
birth  of  Christianity  and  the  promulgation  of  law  for  people 
to  live  by,  was  and  is  today  the  grandest  spot  on  all  the 
earth. 

A  ragged  gem  from  nature's  mold, 
A  mountain  peak  of  beauty  untold; 
A  history  far  more  sublime 
Than   peaks  of  any  other  clime. 

Read  the  story  in  Exodus,  how  one  morning  there  came  a 
cloud  "and  the  voice  of  the  trumpet  exceeding  loud,"  and 
out  of  the  cloud  was  lightning  and  thunder,  and  all  Israel 
trembled  at  the  sound.  Then  the  Lord  descended  in  fire 
within  "sight  of  all  the  people,  and  smoke  ascended  from 
the  mountain  as  it  shook." 

It  is  a  beautiful  as  well  as  a  wonderful  story,  as  all  Bible 
stories  are,  and  still  more  interesting  as  the  story  unfolds, 
until  the  law  and  the  commandments  were  given. 

Only  three  days'  journey  from  Mt.  Sinai  is  the  ancient 
site  of  Ezion-Geber,  at  the  head  of  the  eastern  arm  of 
the  Red  Sea,  called  the  Gulf  of  Akabar.  It  was  at  one 
time  the  southern  limit  of  Israel,  and  where  Solomon  sent 
out  his  ships  after  the  gold  of  Ophir. 

On  Friday,  the  19th,  there  was  no  land  in  sight  except  at 
sunset.  We  saw  a  few  mountain  peaks  in  Africa.  Only  saw 
two  ships  during  the  day  and  a  few  open  boats  far  away, 
probably  containing  pirates.  The  waiters  at  the  table  all 
put  on  white,  and  the  "pnnkers"  were  started  to  keep  us 
cool  while  eating,  as  the  weather  was  getting  warm.  On 
Saturday,  the  20th,  we  were  still  sailing  down  the  Red  Sea 
with  no  land  in  sight.    We  were  opposite  Mecca,  in  Persia, 


268  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

and  its  seaport.  Saw  one  steamer  and  one  warship.  Weather 
very  hot 

We  were  nearing  the  southern  end  of  the  Red  Sea,  with 
the  Isle  of  Perim  in  sight.  On  this  lower  end  of  Arabia  the 
famous  Mocha  coffee  is  raised. 

At  10  o'clock  Sabbath  services  (formal  ones)  were  held 
in  the  first-class  saloon ;  but  few  of  the  royalty  were  present, 
compared  with  the  number  on  board.  Those  who  attended, 
especially  the  ladies,  had  on  many  diamonds  and  jewels  to 
shine  and  gleam  in  the  morning  light,  with  trailing  dresses 
to  match. 

Toward  evening  we  came  to  anchor  off  Aden,  a  British 
settlement  at  the  southern  end  of  Arabia,  strongly  fortified, 
commanding  the  entrance  to  the  Red  Sea.  Flags  were  fly- 
ing on  the  several  ships  in  the  harbor,  all  in  honor  of  the 
Duke  of  Connaught  and  his  escort  of  British  war  vessels, 
and  the  Duke  came  over  on  the  Arabia  to  call  on  the  Ger- 
man Prince  (Queen  Victoria's  grandson)  and  the  Duke  of 
Marlborough.  Seventeen  mail  clerks  came  on  board  as  the 
Arabia  had  two  thousand  sacks  of  mail  to  sort  before  reach- 
ing Bombay,  most  of  it  to  be  scattered  through  India.  Their 
usual  amount  (weekly)  is  nine  hundred,  this  being  Christ- 
mas time — hence  the  increase. 

I  never  will  forget  the  sunset  that  Sabbath  evening,  as  it 
dropped  out  of  sight  over  behind  the  Abyssinian  mountains 
and  seemingly  in  the  midst  of  an  aureole  of  light,  fleecy 
clouds,  tinting  them  in  colors  of  pink  and  amber.  Even 
royalty  paused  in  their  walks  back  and  forth,  to  look  at  this 
afterglow  of  sunset,  nowhere  more  marked  and  beautiful  than 
when  seen  as  it  reflects  from  Africa's  shore.  The  mountains 
are  abrupt  and  jutting  almost  on  the  shore  at  Aden,  which 
is  an  island.  There  are  more  British  troops  stationed  here 
than  in  Gibraltar.  Many  Nubians  and  Abyssinians  came  in 
small  boats  from  the  African  shore  and  gathered  around  the 
steamer  to  barter  and  trade.  In  the  evening  the  ship  sailed 
away,  Aden  being  half  way  from  Port  Said  to  Bombay. 

I  arose  at  3  o'clock  Monday  morning  and  ran  out  on  deck 


EGYPT  AND    INDIA.  269 

to  see  that  famous  constellation  of  stars  known  as  the  South- 
ern Cross.  It  was  there,  four  brig*ht  stars,  lying  in  the  form 
of  a  cross  on  an  angle  to  the  east.  With  delight  I  viewed 
the  sight,  and  caught  another  throb  of  nature's  love,  from 
those  southern  skies  above,  lifting  me  up  with  a  quickening 
pulse  to  a  plane  where  harmony  reigns.  Wonderful  stars, 
as  with  noiseless  tread  they  have  paced  the  heavens  since 
the  world  began,  an  emblem  of  love  to  all  mankind,  as  it  is 
our  Saviour's  cross  hanging  in  the  sky.  I  paced  the  deck,  my 
soul  all  aglow — a  season  of  rapture  I  enjoyed  here  below. 

No  land  nor  ships  did  we  see  all  through  this  day  of  Mon- 
day. Tuesday  came  and  the  same  result,  with  not  a  ship 
or  land  to  see,  as  we  went  rushing  along  over  this  Arabian 
sea.  Wednesday  came  and  still  not  a  ship  nor  land  in  sight. 
A  few  flying  fish  were  flying  about  like  the  flutter  of  royalty 
on  the  promenade  deck.  Thursday  came  being  Christmas 
Day,  and  we  had  plum  pudding  served  on  a  tray. 

I  heard  a  great  noise  and  clamoring  shouts,  and  I  walked 
aloft  to  see  what  it  was  about.  Each  day  a  coterie  of  the 
common  people  had  been  betting  on  the  running  of  the  ship, 
men  and  women  getting  much  excited,  as  the  stakes  ran  up 
to  about  twenty  pounds  ($ioo)  each  day.  Their  mode  of 
procedure  was  to  auction  off  the  choices  to  the  highest  bid- 
der. This  being  Christmas  Day,  some  of  the  Dukes,  Earls 
and  Lords  took  part  in  this  gambling  scheme — hence  the 
uproar,  and  the  pool  ran  up  to  loo  pounds  ($500).  One 
lord  won  most  of  it  and  one  of  the  common  people  said  to 
me,  "The  big  guns  were  too  much  for  us." 

A  strange  medley  of  people  were  aboard.  There  was  a 
Church  of  Scotland  preacher  and  he  used  to  sing  panto- 
mime songs,  drink  beer,  and  smoke.  One  day  I  walked  by 
the  dining  saloon  and  all  the  servants  of  the  royalty  and  no- 
bility were  dining  or  rather  at  "Tiffin,"  as  everybody  calls  the 
noonday  meal,  and  I  heard  them  talking  about  their  employers 
(several  dozen  of  them)  and  I  wondered  if  their  masters'  ears 
burned.  Their  other  talk  was  about  diplomacy,  pools,  rank 
and  style — simply  a  reflex  of  what  they  hear. 


270  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLINQ   THE   GLOBE. 

Each  day  the  weather  grew  warmer  and  we  were  soon  in 
the  midst  of  summer  heat. 

Early  Friday  morning,  the  27th,  as  I  came  on  deck,  I  saw 
we  were  entering  the  harbor  of  Bombay.  Many  ships  were 
lying  at  anchor,  and  there  were  large  European  looking 
buildings  on  the  shore.  The  nobility  had  a  special  train  char- 
tered to  carry  them  to  Delhi,  therefore  the  first  two  small 
steamer  loads  to  the  custom  house  landing  were  entirely  filled 
with  themselves,  their  servants  and  their  luggage.  About 
nine  o'clock  we  landed,  passed  the  custom  house,  by  Elmer 
paying  70  cents  as  duty  on  his  camera,  and  accompanied  by 
a  returning  Methodist  missionary  hired  a  g*harry  and  started 
off  for  the  railroad  station.  On  our  way  we  purchased  a  topi 
each,  to  protect  us  from  the  hot,  burning  sun,  called  on  the 
Methodist  minister,  found  Bishop  Thoburn  there  and  was  in- 
troduced to  him,  and  af*^er  a  chat  proceeded  to  the  station. 
We  soon  found  that  the  fast  Punjaub  mail  train  leaving  at  4 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  our  train  for  Delhi,  was  full,  every 
seat  taken,  and  the  management  refused  to  put  on  any  more 
cars.  We  purchased  tickets  for  the  next  train,  leaving  at  nine 
o'clock  that  evening. 

We  drove  to  a  market  and  walked  through  to  see  the 
fruits.  We  found  guavas  as  large  as  oranges,  mangoes, 
plums,  apples,  bananas,  grapes,  oranges,  lemons,  and  other 
fruits  I  know  not  their  name.  The  season  was  finished  on 
the  custard  apples,  which  is  called  a  delicious  fruit.  We  then 
ordered  our  gharry  to  drive  to  the  Towers  of  Silence,  where 
the  Parsees  deposit  their  dead.  Our  first  impressions  oi 
India  were  peculiar,  unlike  any  other  country.  The  two  most 
commonplace  things  in  all  the  world  are  seen  all  over  the 
streets,  yet  you  notice  them  not  because  they  are  so  common. 
One  is  the  little  satin-skinned,  fawn-colored,  hump-backed 
ox,  drawing  carts  everywhere,  the  other  is  nothing  but  a 
crow,  small  but  blue.  The  reason  you  keep  looking  at  these 
things  is  that  the  ox  has  a  hump  and  the  crow  is  blue;  and 
there  are  troops  of  them  all  alike  all  over  India.  The  streets 
are  like  a  patch  of  tulips,  orange,  red,  flaming  vermilion,  cherry 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  271 

color,  emerald  and  brown,  in  either  turban  or  costume,  jost- 
ling by  in  endless  throng.  Then  there  are  women  passing  by 
dressed  in  satin,  colored  drawers,  or  the  next  may  be  cherry 
colored,  or  green,  shining  like  a  grasshopper;  or  the  next 
woman  with  only  a  mantle  of  the  brightest  purple,  drawn 
diagonally  across  the  body  from  the  breast  to  the  hip,  and 
wrapped  around  in  this  or  some  other  bright  color  unseen 
in  any  other  land.  There  are  no  such  hues  of  color  in  any 
other  country  as  are  worn  here  by  men  and  women.  One  has 
to  come  to  India  to  see  them.  Then  your  western  ideas  are 
rudely  shocked  by  groups  of  men  stalking  by  entirely  naked 
except  a  very  small  loin  cloth,  yet  they  all  seem  to  be  ver- 
itable children  of  the  sun,  basking  in  its  rays,  and  their  arms, 
legs  and  bodies  all  shine  like  polished  bronze. 

We  alighted  from  our  gharry  at  the  entrance  to  the  grounds 
where  the  Parsees  (the  richest  and  best  educated  people 
of  India)  deposit  their  dead.  For  about  a  mile  we  had  been 
climbing  an  upward  grade,  in  places  quite  steep,  until  we  were 
on  Malabar  Hill,  near  the  sea,  and  about  four  miles  from  the 
business  center  of  Bombay.  Accompanying  us  was  a  doctor 
of  the  English  army,  on  furlough,  a  native  of  India,  of  Indian 
parentage,  and  in  his  official  service  stationed  on  the  Gold 
Coast  of  Western  Africa.  At  the  bottom  of  a  long  flight  of 
stone  stairs  we  met  an  attendant,  and  because  we  had  no  ad- 
mission tickets,  which  are  obtained  of  the  secretary  of  the 
Parsee  society,  we  were  denied  any  further  entrance  in  a  posi- 
tive and  emphatic  manner.  We  intimated  to  the  doctor  that 
a  little  money  would  reverse  his  ideas,  and  after  he  talked 
to  him  in  their  Indian  language,  we  were  allowed  to  enter. 

Ascending  the  stone  stairway  we  came  into  a  beautiful  park 
or  garden  with  curving  graveled  pathways.  Following  our 
attendant  along  one  of  these  walks,  we  soon  came  in  sight  of 
a  large,  white,  windowless  building,  with  no  roof  in  sight,  as 
high  as  two  stories  and  circular  in  appearance. 

I  saw  a  stone  parapet  around  the  outer  edge  of  the  entire 
top.  On  this  parapet  sat  a  row  of  vultures,  larger  than  tur- 
keys, not  over  a  foot  apart  on  the  average,  looking  sleek  and 


272  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

fat  and  as  solemn  as  a  row  of  owls.  Two  other  buildings  not 
far  away,  built  in  the  same  manner,  had  other  rows  of  vul- 
tures around  their  tops,  looking  well-fed  and  satisfied.  Each 
bird,  apparently,  had  nothing  to  do  but  sit  and  sun  itself, 
while  perched  upon  the  crest  of  these  parapets. 

Our  attendant  led  us  into  a  little  yard,  and  directing  our 
attention  to  a  model,  about  ten  feet  in  diameter,  began  hts 
explanation:  "You  see  here  thirty  places  that  we  lay  the 
bodies  on,"  showing  us  the  top  of  the  model  divided  into 
two  circular  rows  of  grooves,  fifteen  in  each  row,  one  above 
the  other,  all  sloping  towards  the  center.  In  the  center  is  a 
large  round  hollow  space.  I  asked  him,  "Where  do  the  bones 
go  to?"  He  replied:  "As  we  need  the  space  we  brush  the 
bones  into  that  hollow  in  the  center,  which  runs  down  through 
the  building;  then  there  are  four  drains  leading  out  into  the 
yard,  filled  with  charcoal.  We  had  one  body  this  morning, 
and  laid  it  there,"  indicating  with  a  forefinger  the  nearest 
building  where  the  thickest  row  of  vultures  sat.  The  doctor, 
true  to  the  profession,  wanted  to  climb  the  building,  and  look 
in  at  the  top,  but  the  attendant  said,  "Except  the  body  carriers 
no  one  is  allowed  on  those  buildings,  not  even  the  relatives 
of  the  dead."  About  one  hundred  bodies  each  month  are  thus 
laid  away  on  these  "Towers  of  Silence."  As  these  vultures 
swoop  down  on  the  body  there  is  nothing  but  the  skeleton  left 
in  a  few  minutes,  to  bleach  and  brown  in  a  tropical  sun  until 
that  groove  is  wanted  again.  Then  all  that  is  left  of  rich  or 
poor,  of  old  or  young,  is  gathered  in  the  central  well,  until 
some  day  when  the  resurrection  will  occur. 

The  grounds  are  beautiful,  birds  are  singing,  trees  and 
lovely  flowers  are  all  over  the  rolling,  sloping  surface  of  Mala- 
bar Hill,  with  flowering  shrubs  and  graceful  towering  palms — 
a  vision  of  beauty,  yet  marred  by  five  stone  buildings  sur- 
mounted by  groups  of  loathesome  vultures,  with  a  few  circling 
in  the  air. 

We  retraced  our  steps  and  paused  by  the  side  of  a  small 
chapel  at  the  entrance,  where  their  sacred  fire  of  incense  and 
sandal  wood  is  never  allowed  to  die  out,  and  the  final  funeral 


VULTURES  WAITiXG  PARSEE  FUNERAL 

MALABAR     HILL,      BOMBAY 


EGYPT  AND    INDIA.  273 

services  of  their  dead  is  held,  but  were  not  allowed  to  enter. 
However,  the  attendant  allowed  us  to  climb  some  stone  steps 
leading  to  a  porch  of  the  chapel,  where  we  could  look  across 
the  glimmering  ocean  waves  toward  the  setting  sun,  with 
the  entire  city  of  Bombay,  its  harbor  and  shipping  in  full 
view;  and  in  the  distance  a  little  farther  inland  are  some 
bold,  beautiful  mountains,  called  the  "Ghats" — a  small  part 
of  "Picturesque  India." 

In  Bombay,  a  city  of  about  800,000  population,  there  are 
nearly  50,000  Parsees,  and  in  all  the  rest  of  India  only  about 
25,000  more.  When  Persia  was  conquered  by  the  Mohamme- 
dans about  1200  years  ago  these  Parsees'  ancestors  fled  from 
their  native  land  of  Persia.  Their  religion  was  founded  by 
Zoroaster,  and  by  tradition  it  is  said  he  was  a  disciple  of 
Daniel,  the  great  Hebrew  Prophet.  They  are  a  remarkable 
people,  as  white  in  color  as  Europeans,  speak  English  fluently, 
most  of  them  very  wealthy  and  very  charitable.  Most  people 
in  writing  call  them  "Fire  Worshipers,"  which  is  a  mistake. 
They  are  simply  Theists  and  regard  God  as  an  emblem  of 
glory  and  spiritual  life. 

When  a  Parsee  prays,  he  either  faces  the  sun,  or  some 
fire — symbols  of  Deity,  and  one  of  the  sights  of  Bombay  is  to 
see  a  group  of  Zoroastrians  praying  at  sunset.  With  Parsees, 
earth,  air,  water  and  fire  are  their  sacred  elements,  which 
easily  explains  their  method  of  disposing  of  their  dead.  No 
contact  with  the  earth,  even  the  drainage  purified  by  a  char- 
coal filter;  no  fire  to  burn,  nothing  left  to  mold  in  the  air, 
and  no  burial  in  water.  One  of  the  towers  is  used  for  sui- 
cides, and  tor  those  who  die  in  hospitals,  thus  coming  in  con- 
tact with  no  other  people.  Another  tower  is  used  by  one 
family  and  the  other  three  are  used  by  the  two  sects  of 
Parsees,  the  larger  one  using  two. 

The  men  dress  like  Europeans,  only  they  wear  a  tall,  slop- 
ing, shiny,  black  cap,  and  in  the  back  part  of  the  cap  there 
is  a  place  to  carry  a  handkerchief.  The  ladies  dress  very 
handsomely,  and  many  of  their  silk  saris  are  made  in  China, 


274  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

then  embroidered  by  hand  in  India,  and  costing  from  one  to 
five  hundred  dollars  each. 

Near  Malabar  Hill  are  many  handsome  villas  and  bunga- 
lows of  the  wealthy  merchants  of  Bombay.  As  we  passed 
down  and  out  of  the  entrance,  another  group  of  vultures  were 
resting  in  the  top  of  a  small  palm  tree,  waiting  and  watching 
for  another  Parsee  funeral. 

The  first  Hindu  temple  we  saw  in  India,  and  the  finest  in 
Bombay,  is  near  this  entrance.  We  drove  back  to  Bombay 
looking  at  the  old  and  the  new,  here  a  fine  European  looking 
residence  or  store,  and  by  its  side  a  low,  squalid,  thatched 
hut,  occupied  by  half  naked  natives.  A  city  full  of  incongrui- 
ties, of  surprises  at  every  turn,  and  thousands  of  people  swept 
away  each  year  by  the  bubonic  plague.  The  trees  looked 
strange  to  us,  and  in  vacant  spaces  are  the  banyan  and  ever- 
green mango  trees,  the  one  with  its  thousands  of  brown  root- 
lets reaching  towards  the  ground,  the  other  just  coming  into 
bloom  for  next  season's  crop  of  delicious  mangoes. 

Bombay  has  in  one  of  its  suburbs,  one  of  the  most  singular 
hospitals  in  the  world,  where  aged  and  infirm  animals  are 
taken  in  and  cared  for.  North  of  Bombay  near  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Tapti,  in  the  city  of  Surat,  are  three  or  four  more 
hospitals  to  care  for  sick  dogs  and  animals  of  all  sorts,  worn 
out  or  old  and  feeble.  And  in  one  of  these  hospitals  there  is 
a  ward  set  apart  where  bugs,  fleas,  lice  and  other  vermin  are 
kept  and  cherished,  all   supported  by   Hindu  charity. 

At  nine  o'clock  that  evening,  with  all  of  our  luggage,  and  in 
the  finest  depot  in  India,  costing  300,000  pounds  sterling,  amid 
the  hurrying  crowds  of  all  sorts  of  people,  we  boarded  our 
train  for  Delhi,  over  one  thousand  miles  away. 

As  we  rode  away  in  our  second  class  compartment  we  no- 
ticed that  all  the  long  distance  travelers  had  bundles  of  bed- 
ding and  usually  one  whole  seat,  long  enough  to  lie  down  on 
at  full  length,  which  is  considered  one  sitting.  It  was  warm 
and  we  laid  down  on  the  cushioned  seats  running  lengthwise 
of  our  compartment,  having  plenty  of  room  to  stretch  out,  yet 
getting  chilly  toward  morning. 


EGYPT  AND  INDIA.  276 

Early  next  morning  the  sun  rose  clear,  and  I  looked  out  to 
see  something  of  India.  I  expected  to  see  an  almost  treeless 
country.  On  the  contrary  I  saw  many  trees,  scattered  all  over 
the  ifields,  many  of  them  the  large,  glossy-leaved  mango  tree, 
just  coming  into  bloom.  The  ride  through  the  country  was 
an  interesting  one.  We  saw  monkeys  gamboling  in  the  trees, 
flocks  of  different  colored  parrots,  wild  peacocks,  gazelles,  and 
different  kinds  of  deer.  I  saw  no  wild  flowers  and  not  many 
cultivated  ones.  The  crops  after  the  summer  rains,  which 
they  call  the  "monsoon  season,"  had  gathered.  Not  much 
was  growing,  except  in  some  districts  where  irrigation  from 
the  rivers  could  be  done,  or  small  pieces  where  the  natives 
could  pump  water  with  their  oxen. 

The  gauge  of  these  Indian  roads  is  very  wide,  and  measures, 
I  think,  five  and  one-half  feet.  Many  iron  ties  are  used, 
and  the  fences  have  iron  posts,  as  there  is  a  white  ant  that 
eats  up  any  wood  that  touches  the  ground.  Toward  evening 
we  crossed  one  of  the  sacred  rivers  of  India,  quite  a  large 
one.  The  pepul  tree,  very  sacred  to  the  Hindus,  we  saw  here 
and  there,  and  the  neem  tree.  In  some  places  we  passed 
through  regular  jungles  of  large  leafed  trees,  bushes,  tall  grass 
and  various  thickets  of  trees,  the  home  of  the  panther,  leopard 
and  tiger.  Herds  of  wild  deer  became  a  common  sight  out  in 
the  fields,  as  the  Hindus  kill  nothing,  not  even  their  cattle, 
for  fear  that  the  spirit  of  their  grandmother  or  some  other  re- 
lation has  come  back  to  earth  again  and  lives  in  some  ani- 
mal, bird  or  monkey.  At  night  we  camped  down  again  on 
our  train,  but  we  were  getting  north  in  India,  and  suffered 
with  the  cold.  In  the  morning  as  I  looked  out  the  country 
was  broken,  and  small,  sharp  hills  were  in  sight.  Villages 
appeared  all  the  time,  as  the  population  of  India  is  immense. 
We  crossed  the  Jumna  river,  a  tributary  of  the  Ganges,  and 
at  all  these  rivers  one  peculiar  feature  is  that  men  are  seen 
washing  on  their  banks,  as  men  do  much  washing  in  India. 
At  Tundia  Junction  we  left  the  train,  waiting  until  evening 
before  we  took  another  one.  Here  we  went  to  the  English 
church,  having  a  good  service.    It  is  simply  astonishing  to  see 


276  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

the  large  number  of  natives  traveling  third  class.  They  come 
to  a  station  early,  camp  down  on  the  platform  and  wait  for 
their  train,  time  being  no  object  to  them.  Most  of  the  cars 
in  each  train  are  third  class,  and  as  the  train  arrives  they  fill 
those  cars  sometimes  like  sardines  in  a  box,  with  their  bun- 
dles and  bedding.  Another  peculiar  thing — all  these  men  and 
women  carry  vessels  to  drink  out  of.  The  Hindus  carry  brass 
and  the  Mohammedans  copper,  and  clean  them  very  often. 
Each  vessel  will  hold  about  two  quarts,  and  you  will  see  them 
on  the  streets,  in  the  country  and  everywhere.  If  only  one 
article  is  in  their  possession  it  is  likely  to  be  either  this  brass 
or  copper  water  vessel. 

Since  leaving  Bombay  at  every  important  town  or  junction, 
as  we  approached  Northern  India,  all  these  people  were  roped 
off  and  a  doctor  examined  them  by  feeling  of  their  bodies, 
to  see  if  they  had  the  bubonic  plague.  We  were  not  examined 
on  the  other  cars,  only  to  look  at  us  and  occasionally  to  feel 
of  our  pulse.  All  the  Indian  cars  have  an  extra  projecting 
side  reaching  down  a  foot  to  about  the  center  of  the  windows, 
to  keep  the  hot  sun  out  in  the  summer  time. 

Again  that  night  as  our  train  rolled  along  to  Delhi  wc  suf- 
fered severely  with  the  cold,  and  as  we  arrived  we  purchased 
some  bedding  and  like  all  Indian  travelers,  ever  after  carried  it 
with  us. 

On  alighting  in  the  Delhi  station,  we  found  it  trimmed  with 
evergreens.  Many  flags  were  flying;  our  flag  and  the  British 
were  on  each  side  of  the  Viceroy's  flag  over  the  main  entrance, 
and  platforms  erected  were  covered  with  red  cloth.  It  was 
near  morning,  and  what  a  scene.  No  hotel  accommodations, 
everything  full  at  about  twenty-five  dollars  a  day.  We  camped 
out  the  night  in  the  station,  as  hundreds  of  others  did,  and 
thousands  of  natives  were  sleeping  outside,  rolled  up  in  blan- 
kets. We  checked  our  baggage  in  the  parcel  room  and  started 
out  to  walk  in  the  early  morning  light.  The  city  was  all  astir, 
throbbing  with  life  and  motion  everywhere.  As  we  walked 
along  there  loomed  up  on  one  side  of  the  street  several  ele- 
phants, attended  by  their  keepers,  gathering  for  the  parade. 


EGYPT  AND  INDIA.  £77 

We  passed  through  a  triumphal  arch  and  in  front  of  thousands 
of  seats  erected  before  a  large  Mohammedan  mosque  called 
Jama  Masjid,  from  which  all  the  royalty  were  to  witness  the 
parade,  and  a  short  distance  away  in  sight  is  a  vacant  area  of 
land  of  perhaps  two  hundred  acres.  I  wish  I  had  power  to 
describe  to  you  something  of  the  scene  before  us  in  and 
about  this  area  of  land,  on  the  street  leading  to  the  mosque 
and  on  a  parallel  street  not  far  away  (the  most  famous  street 
in  Delhi,  called  Chandni  Chonk),-  from  nine  to  eleven  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  December  29th,  1902.  On  the  streets  lead- 
ing thereto  was  a  continual  passage  of  landaus  and  carriages 
first  and  second  class,  tongas,  carts  drawn  by  oxen,trotting 
along;  English  carts,  rickashaws,  judkas,  tum-tums  and 
gharrys.  All  the  barouches  and  first  class  carriages  had 
mounted  outriders  waving  their  pennants  and  I  saw  a  hand- 
some tally-ho  drawn  by  six  camels,  a  barouche  by  four,  and  a 
carriage  by  one  camel,  all  trotting  along  like  horses.  Riders 
on  bicycles  were  about  as  thick  in  the  throng  as  commas  in 
this  narrative.  All  these  conveyances  were  continually  empty- 
ing their  loads  of  Europeans  and  Indians  of  rank  to  occupy 
these  seats ;  they  were  dressed  in  all  the  colors  of  a  rainbow, 
sparkling  with  jewels,  pearls  and  diamonds  in  the  bright  sun- 
light. Hundreds  of  native  policemen  and  soldiers  were  keep- 
ing the  multitude  of  natives  off  the  streets  in  order  to  let  the 
conveyances  pass.  On  this  vacant  area  fronting  one  of  the 
streets,  were  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  elephants  and  their 
keepers.  Each  elephant  was  dressed  in  robes  of  gold  cloth, 
velvet  or  carpet  rugs  of  great  value,  and  on  top  of  these 
costly  trappings  the  elephants  wore  howdahs  of  silver,  gold  and 
wood.  The  keepers  were  making  the  elephants  kneel  down 
and  Indian  dignitaries  dressed  in  their  gold  and  silver  em- 
broidered flowing  robes  of  all  colors  were,  by  the  aid  of  a 
ladder,  ascending  to  a  seat  or  seats  in  the  howdahs. 

Many  thousands  of  natives  were  gathering  on  all  sides  and 
along  the  line  of  the  march  of  two  or  three  miles.  The  boom- 
ing of  twenty-one  cannon  at  the  railroad  station  announced 
the  arrival  of  Lord  Curzon  and  party — the  Viceroy  of  India. 


278  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

Meanwhile  thousands  of  troops,  both  native  and  English,  with 
batteries  of  artillery  were  placed  in  rows  on  each  side  of  the 
line  of  march.  We  secured  a  fairly  good  position  in  front  of 
the  natives,  as  we  had  been  long  enough  in  India  to  observe 
that  Europeans  were  allowed  to  go  almost  anywhere,  except 
into  reserved  seats,  while  the  natives  were  beaten  back,  some- 
times with  whips,  and  ordered  around  in  a  peremptory  way. 
Another  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  from  the  front  near  the 
railroad  station  was  a  signal  that  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Connaught  had  arrived  on  their  special  train. 

All  the  Rajahs  of  India  were  at  the  station  in  waiting  to  re- 
ceive these  two  royal  representatives,  the  Viceroy  of  India 
and  the  king  of  England's  brother.  About  fifty  or  sixty 
elephants,  those  we  saw  in  the  morning,  were  in  waiting  to 
carry  all  this  royalty,  thus  commencing  the  day's  parade  from 
the  station.  We  were  surrounded  with  great  multitudes  of 
Indian  people,  wearing  turbans  of  various  colors — mostly  red, 
white,  green  and  yellow — coats  and  frocks  of  all  colors,  some 
of  them  brighter  than  the  feathers  of  a  peacock.  Then  again 
in  and  among  this  throng  were  hundreds  of  natives  with  only 
a  few  yards  of  cotton  on  and  nothing  on  their  legs,  many  of 
them  barefoot,  but  most  of  them  wearing  sandals.  Every 
house  top,  old  roof  and  improvised  seat  was  covered  with  this 
wonderful,  quivering,  surging  and  kaleidoscopic  mass  of  hu- 
manity. 

The  parade  came  in  sight  with  a  whole  squadron  of  mounted 
lancers  carrying  red  and  white  pennants,  each  rear  rank 
carrying  swords  only;  then  an  elephant  with  a  silver  howdah 
like  a  throne  on  his  back  containing  Lord  and  Lady  Curzon. 
This  elephant's  covering,  a  gold  brocaded  cloth,  cost  about 
$3000.  Over  their  heads  was  an  umbrella  made  of  gold  (a 
sign  of  royalty  in  India),  worth  as  much  more.  Then  came 
another  monstrous  elephant  covered  with  jewels,  sparkling 
like  electric  lights  as  the  bright  sunshine  caught  them,  on 
mountings  worth  thousands  of  dollars,  surmounted  by  a 
golden  howdah,  and  upon  its  seat  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of 
Connaught,  wearing  the  same  pleasing  look  as   we  saw  on 


STATE    ENTRY.    DELHI, 
DEC.  29,  1902. 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  279 

them  at  the  opening  of  the  great  dam  800  miles  up  the  Nile. 
Then  all  the  Rajahs  of  India,  about  100  of  them,  came,  seated 
on  a  double  row  of  elephants,  dressed  in  gold  cloth  on  silver 
and  gold  howdahs.  Elephants  and  rulers  of  these  many  native 
states  were  dressed  in  jewels,  silver  bells,  great  head  dresses 
on  some  oi  the  elephants  worth  thousands  of  dollars.  The  fine 
carpets,  the  gold  cloth,  pearls,  diamonds  and  wealth  displayed 
as  these  fifty  or  sixty  elephants  passed  was  like  a  dream — a 
pageant  unequaled  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  howdahs 
were  of  every  pattern — high  and  low,  long  and  short,  of  either 
silver  or  gold,  draped  in  yellow,  red,  purple  or  blue,  and  some 
in  green.  Most  of  the  elephants  had  long  silver  chains  hang- 
ing from  their  massive  heads,  jingling  with  a  musical  ring  at 
every  step.  Gaily  dressed  men  with  maces  walked  alongside 
and  attendants  stood  at  the  back  of  the  howdahs,  daintily 
dressed,  holding  bright  colored  umbrellas  over  the  heads  of 
these  rich  Rajahs  of  India.  The  covering  of  one  elephant 
was  one  mass  of  jewels  and  pearls,  and  even  their  long  tusks 
had  wide  rings  of  silver  and  gold  fitted  on  them,  and  many  of 
their  tusks  were  painted  with  bright  stripes  of  color.  One 
elephant  was  encircled  with  a  string  of  silver  bells  and  he  rang 
them  with  his  trunk.  As  all  this  array  of  elephants  and  roy- 
alty reached  the  168  elephants  facing  them — simply  the  reti- 
nue of  the  rajahs — ^then  the  retinue  elephants  saluted  the 
others  with  their  trunks  and  fell  into  line,  making  about  aao 
elephants  loaded  with  people  riding  along.  No  country  but 
Asia  and  no  part  of  any  country  but  India  could  present  such 
a  dazzling  array  of  wealth.  Such  magnificent  elephants, 
Jumbo  in  size,  bedecked  and  surmounted  with  many  of  the 
costliest  jewels  in  the  world. 

That  evening,  rather  than  pay  such  exorbitant  hotel  rates, 
we  purchased  tickets  to  Amritsar,  300  miles  to  the  northwest 
of  Delhi.  Instead  of  shivering  with  cold  we  could  now  sleep, 
as  we  had  our  bedding  and  could  turn  our  part  of  the  com- 
partment into  a  place  for  sleeping  at  any  time. 

The  next  morning  as  we  were  passing  Umballa  we  saw  oflf 
to  the  north  some  of  the  outlying  foothills  of  the  Himalaya 


280  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

mountains.  Most  of  these  plains  in  this  part  of  India  are 
under  irrigation  from  great  canals,  some  of  them  one  or  two 
hundred  miles  long.  Out  of  the  Jumna  are  three  canals,  and 
the  Ganges  is  taken  out  in  canals  at  Hurdmar,  where  there  arc 
four  thousand  miles  of  main  canal  and  its  laterals.  The  mon- 
soons are  sometimes  uncertain  in  India,  and  even  if  a  large 
quantity  of  rain  falls,  it  is  midsummer  and  extremely  hot, 
and  under  these  conditions  after  the  rain  ceases  the  land  may 
dry  out  before  their  crop  matures.  Monsoon  does  not  mean 
heavy  wind,  and  only  lasts  for  three  months,  usually  com- 
mencing about  the  middle  of  June,  when  the  prevailing  winds 
veer  around  to  the  southwest,  with  rain,  often  drenching 
rains,  until  these  plains  are  a  vast  sheet  of  water  in  all  the 
low  lying  places.  Yet  like  some  other  countries,  in  portions 
of  India  the  rainfall  is  only  about  two  inches  each  year.  I 
refer  to  the  section  near  Persia,  and  away  from  the  mountains. 
Then  again  over  in  Burmah  and  south  of  Assam  is  a  section 
where  there  is  about  five  hundred  inches  of  rain  each  year, 
the  heaviest  rainfall  in  the  world.  Eastern  India  has  more 
rain,  as  Calcutta  will  average  sixty  inches  or  more.  Western 
India  is  where  it  forgets  to  rain  at  times,  and  away  from  the 
large  rivers  of  the  north  there  is  not  much  water  for  irri- 
gation. 

Just  after  dark  we  arrived  at  Amritsar,  a  city  of  over  a 
hundred  thousand  population,  with  large  trees  along  the 
streets,  and  much  of  the  city's  surroundings  park-like  in  ap- 
pearance. We  engaged  rooms  at  the  Dak  bungalow  and  soon 
discovered  the  custom  in  India,  as  our  rooms  had  only  bed- 
steads and  a  mattress,  each  guest  being  expected  to  bring 
and  use  his  own  bedding.  The  rooms  were  large,  and  fur- 
nished elegantly,  in  Indian  style,  and  as  we  retired  Elmer 
laughed  at  me  because  I  looked  under  my  bed  to  sec  if  any 
of  the  deadly  poisonous  cobra  snakes  were  in  sight.  We  were 
in  the  largest  and  wealthiest  city  in  the  Punjab  district  in 
India,  a  land  whose  history  is  full  of  romance ;  a  city  which 
is  one  of  the  commercial  gateways  to  the  great  elevated  table 
lands  of  Central  Asia.    Being  not  far  from  the  tallest  moun- 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  281 

tains  in  the  world,  and  in  midwinter,  we  found  it  very  chilly. 

After  eating  breakfast  in  the  Dak  bungalow,  where  the  wait- 
ers all  wear  their  turbans,  we  sauntered  out  to  see  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  cities  in  Northern  India.  The  cold  air 
seemed  to  touch  the  marrow  in  our  bones ;  a  dark  dust  colored 
haze,  surmounted  by  long,  ridgy,  storm  looking  clouds,  filled 
the  entire  arc  of  space  above.  We  walked  across  a  park,  yet 
the  grass  was  getting  parched  with  thirst,  the  paths  and  road- 
ways were  smothered  with  dust,  large  trees,  in  bunches  and 
rows,  and  in  foliage  fair,  lifted  their  towering  tops  into  the  air. 
Flocks  of  the  ever-present  little  blue  crows  were  scurrying 
around,  while  some  were  sitting  on  the  ground — all  were  talk- 
ing with  that  peculiar  twirl  that  crows  and  sometimes  chil- 
dren love  to  do. 

Passing  over  the  railroad  tracks  near  the  station  on  an  ele- 
vated bridge,  we  crossed  another  park  and  came  to  a  city 
gate  opening  into  a  long  central  avenue  or  street,  full  of  busi- 
ness and  people,  unlike  any  other  street  in  any  other  country 
or  city  except  India.  The  first  place  we  entered  was  a  large 
carpet  and  rug-weaving  manufactory,  where  beautiful  Indian 
rugs  are  woven  and  colored  with  native  dyes.  The  manager, 
who  could  speak  English,  received  us  very  courteously  and 
showed  us  a  rug  about  twelve  feet  square,  in  a  hand  loom 
and  not  yet  finished,  where  four  young  men  had  been  working 
on  it  one  and  one-half  months.  In  this  establishment  are  no 
looms,  all  worked  by  hand,  where  several  hundred  boys  and 
young  men  weave  some  of  the  fines  rugs  in  the  world.  These 
rugs  are  worth  in  Amritsar  when  finished  about  ten  rupees 
per  square  yard.  The  looms  were  strung  with  cotton  threads, 
then  each  boy  or  man,  under  a  director,  would  tie  in  the  dif- 
ferent colored  wool  threads,  clipping  them  with  a  knife  large 
enough  to  reap  grain  with,  and  then  comb  down  the  stitches 
with  wooden  combs.  The  boys'  wages  are  about  a  dollar  and 
a"  half  each  month,  while  the  men  receive  from  ten  to  fifteen 
cents  each  day.  The  usual  conventional  Turkish  and  Persian 
designs  are  used,  yet  in  this  establishment  nearly  all  their 
product  is  shipped  to  a  New  York  firm  and  a  special  designer 


282  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

is  employed  to  suit  American  ideas  and  taste.  The  manager 
showed  us  many  rugs  ready  for  shipment. 

Kashmir  people  do  the  weaving,  whole  families  knowing 
nothing  else  from  childhood  to  old  age. 

Not  many  of  the  workers  were  present  as  many  of  them  are 
Mohammedans  and  they  were  expecting  to  see  the  new  moon 
the  coming  evening,  and  that  would  end  their  fast  of  the 
Ramadan. 

The  manager  said:  "My  men  expected  to  see  the  new 
moon  last  evening,  but  were  disappointed."  "Suppose  it  is 
cloudy  and  they  cannot  see  the  new  moon  tonight?"  I  asked. 
"Somebody  will  see  it  in  Calcutta  or  elsewhere  and  tele- 
graph," was  the  reply.  It  was  a  holiday  among  the  Moham- 
medans. Stringing  flags  along  the  street,  erecting  fireworks 
and  dressing  up  in  holiday  attire ;  yet  there  were  hundreds  of 
men  walking  along  almost  naked.  Calves,  cows,  oxen  and 
buffaloes  were  walking  along  the  streets  just  the  same  as  the 
people,  looking  in  the  doors,  and  nibbling  what  they  could 
find  to  eat,  and  some  of  them  I  saw  lying  down  chewing  their 
cud  of  contentment.  All  had  humps  on  their  backs,  and  as  I 
passed  along  I  took  hold  of  their  horns  or  placed  my  hand  on 
their  rumps. 

A  real  Indian  city  entirely  eastern  in  its  appearance. 

There  are  many  Indian  women  who  dress  only  in  colored 
trousers,  holding  trousered  babies  on  their  hips,  wearing  rings 
in  their  ears,  pearl  ornaments  in  their  noses,  silver  in  their 
blue-black  hair  and  enormous  bracelets  on  their  ankles.  As 
you  look  down  the  street  you  will  see  all  colors  on  those  that 
are  dressed  at  all.  Orange  shaded  to  lemon,  the  brightest 
of  red  to  an  emerald  or  blue,  pink,  crimson  and  all  the  fa- 
miliar colors  until  it  began  to  seem  to  us  that  we  had  been 
used  to  such  costumes   all  our  lives. 

We  also  visited  the  other  two  large  Indian  rug  or  carpet 
weaving  mills,  as  there  are  three,  all  hand  looms,  and  saw 
them  working. 

Amritsar  is  the  holy  city  of  the  Indian  people,  called  the 
"Sikhs,"  and  its  name  means  "the  pool  of  immortality."    These 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  283 

people  came  into  history  and  notice  about  1500  A.  D.  They 
do  not  worship  idols  nor  use  tobacco  in  any  form,  neither  do 
they  shave  or  cut  their  hair,  and  are  the  best  native  soldiers 
in  the  British  army.  They  have  ^  golden  temple  in  Amritsar 
and  we  visited  it.  Walking  through  the  city  like  many  east- 
ern cities,  with  no  sidewalks,  dodging  the  ox-carts,  running 
around  their  sacred  cattle,  and  elbowing  our  way  along,  we 
came  to  a  little  lake  ana  out  on  an  island  only  large  enough 
to  build  on  it  the  "Golden  Temple."  There  are  gates  and  a 
paved  causeway  leading  to  the  temple.  We  could  wear  no 
shoes,  and  not  having  any  slippers  large  enough  for  me,  I 
had  to  walk  out  to  the  temple  in  my  stocking  feet.  The  en- 
tire temple  outside  is  the  color  of  gold,  not  large.  We  were 
not  allowed  to  go  alone,  one  of  their  guards  accompanying  us. 
First  they  showed  us  a  government  ordinance  whereby  we 
were  told  in  reading  that  we  must  be  respectful  and  conform 
to  the  religious  customs  of  the  place.  At  the  gate  is  a  tablet 
recording  a  great  miracle,  how  a  great  light  from  heaven  fell 
before  their  holy  book  and  was  then  withdrawn  to  heaven. 
We  walked  to  the  entrance  and  sitting  there  on  the  floor, 
without  any  chairs  or  stools,  as  all  Indians  do,  were  a  few 
musicians  twanging  one-stringed  mandolins  and  thrumming 
on  tom-toms,  making  music  lonely  and  scary  enough  to 
frighten  crows  away  from  a  cornfield.  Just  beyond  them  sat 
some  priests  on  the  floor,  under  a  canopy,  and  one  of  them 
read  from  their  sacred  book,  called  the  Granth.  Each  Sikh 
believer  brings  an  offering  of  flowers  or  coin.  There  are  four 
doors  of  chased  silver,  and  the  temple  is  two  stories  high.  In 
the  first  story  is  blue,  red  and  gold,  in  frets  and  scrolls  and 
flowers.  We  walked  up  stairs  and  those  walls  are  finished  the 
same,  except  there  are  studded  mirrors,  and  some  holy  rooms. 
Only  brooms  of  peacock  feathers  are  kept  to  sweep  the  tem- 
ple with.  All  around  the  lake  are  palaces  of  stone  and  mar- 
ble belonging  to  the  Sikh  chiefs,  who  come  here  at  times,  and 
as  we  walked  back,  peddlers  were  offering  all  kinds  of  Indian 
goods  for  sale  on  the  marble  pavements,  and  some  hump- 
backed cows  were  chewing  their  cuds  and  looking  in  one  of 


284  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

the  sacred  doors.  We  wandered  for  hours  up  and  down  the 
narrow,  crooked  streets  where  all  sorts  of  little  stores  stretch 
along  either  side  of  the  street;  here  a  store  full  of  gay  red 
Mohammedan  slippers,  theje  a  yarn  shop  full  of  bunches  of 
yarn  of  all  colors;  damascened  metal  shops,  copper  and  brass 
workers,  gem  cutters,  where  blocks  of  jade  brought  from 
Yarkand  and  Turkestan  are  made  into  jewel  boxes,  knife- 
handles,  knifeblades,  earrings  and  many  other  articles.  I 
saw  one  woman  have  six  rings  hanging  from  each  ear,  about 
three  inches  in  diameter.  We  saw  men  from  the  interior  of 
Asia,  hardy,  rugged-looking  people,  and  met  a  couple  of  men 
just  coming  in  from  Afghanistan,  of  full  beard,  wearing 
enormous  turbans,  and  packing  some  blankets  manufactured  in 
Germany.  That  evening,  amid  throngs  of  people  in  the  rail- 
road station  we  again  booked  our  passage  to  Delhi,  over 
another  railroad  and  made  up  our  beds  on  the  train  as  usual. 
In  the  morning  we  were  near  the  river  Ganges,  and  saw  some 
men  in  a  field  burning  the  body  of  a  Hindu,  or  trying  to,  as 
where  the  Hindu  people  are  poor  and  wood  is  high,  they  only 
burn  them  a  very  little  and  the  dogs  and  hyenas  get  the  rest 
It  was  New  Year's  morning  as  we  came  into  Delhi,  the 
second  time  on  a  train  crowded  with  people,  and  on  each  of 
the  six  railroads  entering  the  one  station  were  almost  myriads 
of  people,  as  most  of  them  came  to  see  the  Coronation  ex- 
ercises. Our  train  was  over  one  hour  late,  and  at  the  Dur- 
bar, seven  miles  away,  the  exercises  had  already  commenced. 
We  tried  to  reach  the  scene,  but  were  unable  to,  as  the  police 
were  stopping  all  conveyances  and  the  Durbar  light  railway 
had  ceased  running.  We  walked  about  two  miles,  hearing 
the  one  hundred  and  one  guns  as  they  were  fired.  There 
were  eighty  thousand  troops,  all  the  invited  guests  and  one 
hundred  thousand  spectators.  The  price  for  everything  was 
exorbitant.  The  light  railway  before  only  charged  eight  annas 
(i6  cents)  ;  today  was  charging  ten  rupees  ($3.33)  as  passage 
to  the  Durbar.  Carriages  were  charging  eight  and  ten  dollars, 
many  of  them  only  gharrys,  tum-tums,  and  carts  drawn  by 
oxen.     From  the  appearance  of  the  miles  of  roadway  leading 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  285 

to  the  Durbar,  with  a  continuous  surging  throng  of  people, 
it  had  all  the  people  in  Delhi,  for  I  never  saw  such  a  crowd 
extending  as  many  miles  as  we  could  see. 

Reaching  a  fork  in  the  roads  where  all  the  returning  Dur- 
bar people  would  have  to  pass  we  halted  Soon  they  came 
and  for  over  two  hours  we  looked  at  royalty,  rajahs,  and 
princes  of  India,  some  of  them  in  carriages  trimmed  with 
gold  and  silver,  wearing  jewels  and  diamonds  worth  thous- 
ands of  pounds,  attended  with  liveried  attendants,  riding  mag- 
nificient  horses,  some  of  them  wearing  helmets  and  carry- 
ing spears.  Thousands  of  troops  were  marching  along  side 
avenues,  with  military  bands  of  music.  All  the  carriages  had 
gaily  dressed  postillions. 

Interspersed  on  the  side  and  between  all  this  splendor  were 
first,  second  and  third  class  gharrys,  hill-tongas,  bullock 
carts  drawn  by  hump-backed  oxen,  tum-tums,  tally-hos  drawn 
by  four  and  six  camels  richly  caparisoned,  Judkas  covered 
with  gay  rugs,  and  their  ponies  with  bells  jingling  along. 
On  both  sides  of  the  street  were  surging,  moving  masses  of 
natives,  dressed  in  the  gayest  colors  under  the  sun,  and  thou- 
sands of  them  undressed,  with  arms  and  legs  as  brown  as 
bronze,  and  shining  in  the  sun  like  varnished  work — all 
this,  woven  together,  presented  a  scene  that  cannot  be  pro- 
duced in  America  or  Europe.  I  never  expect  to  see  any  other 
passing  throng  of  such  a  character  and  color  on  this  earth 
again.  Tired  and  hungry  we  wended  our  way  back  to  Delhi. 
All  the  hotels  had  adopted  the  American  "sudden  way"  of 
getting  wealthy,  raising  their  prices  to  twenty  dollars  a  day. 
Restaurants  were  nowhere  to  be  found  except  at  the  rail- 
road station,  and  a  few  high  priced  ones  along  the  camps. 
Down  in  the  dirt  and  amid  the  swirling  dust,  there  were 
thousands  of  native  eating  places  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
Indian  people  buying  the  queer  mixed  up  dishes  of  food,  and 
the  black  coarse  pancake  looking  like  loaves  of  bread.  A 
curious  medley,  of  curious  things  in  a  curious  land. 

Toward  evening  we  purchased  tickets  to  the  art  exhibition 
and  entered  the  building  where    all    European    goods    were 


286  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE  GLOBE. 

kept  out  and  only  Indian  goods  allowed  in  the  display.  I 
saw  a  small  diamond  in  a  case.  The  attendant  said  it  was 
worth  $5,000,  because  it  was  of  pink  color.  We  came  to  a 
gold  umbrella.  It  was  marked  39,000  rupees,  about  $13,000. 
They  are  used  on  the  howdahs  as  shelter  from  the  sun, 
when  riding  on  an  elephant.  We  saw  cashmere  shawls 
worth  $1000,  of  fascinating  beauty;  and  one  large  cash- 
mere carpet  woven  in  blue  and  gold  with  as  delicate 
stitching  as  in  the  shawl,  too  fine  to  walk  on.  I  saw 
howdahs  trimmed  in  gold  and  silver  worth  $2,000^ 
saddles  to  put  on  elephants'  backs.  In  a  glass  case  one 
rajah  had  on  exhibition  a  table  cover  not  over  nine  feet 
square,  made  entirely  of  precious  stones,  pearls,  turquoisc-s 
and  rubies,  and  woven  together  in  designs  of  flowers  worked 
out  in  the  different  gems,  and  this  table  cover  alone  is  valued 
at  $50,000.  I  saw  some  chairs  covered  with  gold,  and  one 
of  them  of  beautiful  design  is  worth  24,000  rupees  or  about 
$8,000.  I  saw  door  shutters  inlaid  with  ivory,  and  ivory 
boxes,  mantels  and  carved  work  in  teak  and  sandal  wood. 
We  saw  carpets  500  years  old  that  came  from  royal  houses 
in  India,  and  the  coloring  was  as  perfect  though  worn,  as 
the  day  it  was  woven.  We  saw  many  other  carpets  which 
in  design,  color  and  pattern  would  cause  the  average  Ameri- 
can lady  to  want  one,  and  then  invite  all  her  friends  so  they 
might  see  it. 

We  ate  supper  on  a  raised  platform  at  the  exhibition  res- 
taurant, where  the  food  was  served  in  dishes  of  Indian  make, 
and  as  we  munched  away  we  noticed  the  walls  and  ceilings 
covered  with  Indian  art  muslin,  rare  carpets  and  beauty 
everywhere,  could  we  but  ask:  Is  this  some  dream,  or  a 
fairy  picture,  or  a  bit  of  some  Arabian  Nights  come  to  stay, 
or  is  it  a  part  of  the  real  India  of  today?  Of  course,  just  like 
your  state  and  county  fairs  where  the  largest  pumpkins  and 
squashes  are  brought  in,  so  here  the  whole  of  India  has  been 
ransacked  to  get  the  best  of  everything — all  forming  a  verit- 
able fairy  scene,  oriental  in  character,  with  a  blend  in  color  as 
harmonious  as  a  rainbow  and  a  skillful  grouping  of  figures 


EGYPT  AND    INDIA.  287 

until  a  picture  was  formed  that  is  not  seen  in  any  occiden- 
tal land.  We  wandered  from  room  to  room,  each  moment 
catching  something  to  charm,  as  fast  as  eye  and  thought 
could  grasp,  and  then  only  in  part,  as  the  whole  was  too  vast 
to  catch  in  one  evening's  walk.  The  entire  exhibit  had  a 
commercial  value  of  about  $8,000,000  American  money. 
The  next  morning  we  took  the  Durbar  railway,  and  as  there 
were  no  Durbar  exercises,  we  stopped  at  the  polo  grounds 
to  see  the  nobility  play  polo,  then  went  out  to  the  Durbar 
camp.  Immediatly  around  the  Durbar  center  is  a  level  plain, 
large  enough  to  review  fifty  thousand  troops,  or  perhaps 
more.  We  rode  back  to  Delhi,  nearly  all  of  the  seven  miles 
through  one  vast  sea  of  tents,  the  largest  area  of  them  I  ever 
saw  at  one  time.  That  evening  we  purchased  tickets  to 
Lucknow,  a  train  starting  about  midnight,  and  started  out  to 
see  the  fireworks.  Nobody  knows  how  many  people  gathered 
to  witness  the  great  display.  There  may  have  been  two  hun- 
dred thousand.  I  never  saw  such  a  multitude  on  any  oc- 
casion before.  For  two  hours  all  sorts  of  carriages  and 
carts  were  trying  to  bring  the  guests  who  had  purchased 
seats,  as  there  were  thousands  of  them  erected  for  the  grand 
elephant  parade,  and  now  used  for  the  fireworks.  The  po- 
licemen kept  driving  back  the  natives,  but  Europeans  were 
allowed  to  go  unheeded.  We  walked  to  the  seats  as  soon  as 
the  fireworks  commenced,  which  the  guard  invited  us  to 
take.  As  the  glare  of  the  rockets  and  set  pieces  lit  up  the 
surrounding  space,  a  perfect  sea  of  upturned  faces,  and  many 
housetops  for  blocks  around  covered  with  great  masses  of 
people,  and  even  the  battlements  of  the  Delhi  fort  a  half 
mile  away,  black  with  humanity,  and  the  open  space,  nearly 
a  mile  square,  all  filled  with  natives,  until  there  was  no  vacant 
room — all  this  was  to  me  a  more  impressive  scene  than  the 
fireworks.  At  the  close  we  hurried  to  the  station,  found  our 
train,  could  not  get  in,  as  it  was  completely  packed,  and  were 
left  at  midnight  with  no  hotel  to  go  to.  Cold  and  tired,  yet 
we  could  still  muse  upon  the  situation. 
At  this  time,  with  all  our  luggage,  and  every  hotel  full,  our 


288  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE    GLOBE. 

situation  as  the  train  departed  for  Lucknow  was  not  a  cheer- 
ful one.  However,  we  saw  a  number  of  Europeans  spread- 
ing out  their  blankets  in  the  European  waiting  room  of  the 
station,  and  concluded  there  was  room  for  two  more,  so 
rolled  up  in  our  blankets  on  the  floor  and  were  soon  in  a 
land  of  peaceful  rest,  sleeping  as  sound  as  two  bugs  in  a  nest. 

In  the  morning  I  again  walked  out  on  the  streets  of  Delhi 
and,  seeing  a  notice,  "Public  Library,"  walked  in.  There 
were  not  many  books  or  papers,  and  only  a  part  of  those  Eng- 
lish. I  particularly  noticed  in  a  prominent  place  the  monthly 
publication  of  the  Theosophists  of  San  Diego.  Theosophy  is 
simply  the  old  Hindoo  doctrine  of  transmigration  of  souls, 
and  brought  up  in  America  clothed  in  a  new  name,  surrounded 
by  a  certain  subtle  sophistry  of  reasoning,  in  order  to  catch 
people  who  are  straining  after  new  isms. 

Again  I  walked  on  the  most  famo.us  street  of  Delhi,  the 
old  "Chandni  Chonk."  On  each  side  of  the  street  for  over 
a  mile  are  little  shops  and  stores,  just  a  few  feet  square,  and 
the  merchant  sits  Qown  on  the  floor  in  the  center.  The 
would-be  native  customers  come,  standing  in  the  street,  as 
the  stores  are  about  two  feet  higher,  and  purchase,  attended 
with  much  bartering,  as  nearly  all  the  Indian  merchants  ask 
much  more  than  they  expect  to  get.  In  our  shopping  we 
learned  that  to  get  anything  we  wished  to  purchase,  reason- 
able or  cheap,  was  to  go  to  the  Mohammedan  stores  early  in 
the  morning,  as  a  Moslem  will  sell  the  first  sales  of  the  day 
very  low,  as  he  terms  it,  "for  luck." 

This  morning  the  street  was  filled  with  purchasers,  and 
all  the  better  stores  had  carriages  and  smart  English  carts, 
all  attended  with  postillions  in  waiting  for  the  wealthy  Eng- 
lish ladies,  as  they  admired  and  then  sought  to  purchase  some 
of  the  famous  products  of  India.  I  never  tired  of  walking 
along  these  crowded  thoroughfares,  so  replete  with  color, 
pictures  that  in  their  setting  an  artist  might  covet. 

I  saw  two  funeral  processions,  where  the  body  was  first 
covered  with  a  red  cloth,  and  lying  on  a  stretcher  was  car- 
ried on  the  shoulders  of  a  few  men,  and  about  a  dozen  more 


EGYPT  AND   INDIA.  289 

were  walking  behind — all  singing  a  sort  of  mourning  chant 
I  asked  a  merchant  where  they  were  going.  "They  are  Hin- 
doos, going  to  burn  them,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

Toward  noon  I  returned  to  the  station,  as  another  train 
was  leaving  for  Lucknow.  It  was  more  crowded  than  the 
one  at  midnight  All  the  classes  of  travel  were  piled  in  the 
cars  like  kernels  of  corn  on  a  cob,  and  there  were  many  dou- 
ble rows.  We  concluded  to  wait  until  6  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing and  then  make  a  rush  for  the  best  we  could  get  in  the 
way  of  a  seat.  It  began  to  look  like  a  serious  matter  just  to 
get  away  from  Delhi.  During  the  afternoon  we  looked  at 
the  different  trains  as  they  left  Never  before  were  cars 
loaded  with  such  a  mass  of  struggling  humanity.  Among  the 
natives  they  almost  fought  for  places  to  stand  on  the  train. 
Fully  four  hours  before  our  train  would  leave,  the  people  be- 
gan to  gather  on  its  platform  in  the  station.  With  other 
Europeans  we  triea  to  get  some  guaranty  that  the  first  and 
second-class  cars  would  not  be  overcrowded,  but  could  get 
none,  therefore  we  concluded  to  try  an  intermediate  car,  only 
one  being  on  each  train.  The  passenger  train  coming  from 
Lucknow  was  the  one  going  out,  so  we  piled  our  luggage  up 
at  one  side  and  met  the  train  coming  in,  jumping  on  before 
it  stopped.  Elmer  crowded  his  way  into  the  car,  and  I 
jumped  off  on  the  other  side  of  the  train  and  ran  along  with 
it  Coming  to  the  intermediate  car,  there  stood  an  Eurasian 
in  one  of  the  doors  beckoning  to  me,  and  with  much  earn- 
estness said,  "Come,  I  want  you."  I  jumped  in.  Pointing 
to  a  sign  on  the  door  reading,  "For  Europeans  only,"  I  under- 
stood the  situation.  I  ran  out,  found  Elmer  struggling  with 
all  his  might  to  keep  his  place  in  the  other  end  of  the  car,  and 
hastily  calling  him,  we  both  joined  the  Eurasian.  Another 
American  came  along  and  we  held  the  door.  Scores  of  na- 
tives had  intermediate  tickets,  expecting,  as  we  did,  that  would 
be  the  easiest  car  to  get  in,  but  that  sign  staggered  them. 
Otherwise  they  would  have  taken  possession.  Before  the 
train  started  we  let  two  Englishmen  in  and  our  compartment 
had  only  six  as  the  train  left,  with  room  for  eight,  and  the 


290  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

next  one  in  the  car  contained  in  some  way  eighteen.  I  asked 
the  Eurasian,  "How  did  you  manage  to  get  this  compartment 
resefved?"  He  said:  "I  have  been  waiting  two  days  to  get 
away  from  Delhi,  not  being  able  to  get  on  a  train,  and  I 
plucked  this  card  on  the  door  off  from  a  car  in  the  yard,  and 
met  the  incoming  train  out  at  the  edge  of  the  city,  and  I 
put  the  card  on  the  door."  It  was  very  fortunate  for  us,  as 
I  never  saw  such  a  tumult,  nor  any  train  so  filled  with  peo- 
ple before;  and  we  were  riding  off  like  kings,  with  plenty 
of  room. 

The  next  morning  just  after  sunrise  we  arrived  in  Luck- 
now,  hired  a  gharry  and  drove  to  a  hotel,  where,  as  usual, 
we  furnished  our  own  bedding.  We  went  to  the  English 
church  in  the  morning  where  the  service  was  well  attended. 
At  6  o'clock  Bishop  Thoburn  preached  in  the  Methodist 
church,  well  filled  with  people.  Most  Methodist  bishops 
preach  long  sermons.  This  one  was  only  about  fifteen  min- 
utes long,  and  the  text  was  about  "The  River  of  Life."  There 
were  several  Indian  people  in  the  audience  and  the  singing 
was  good.  This  early  time  is  used  as  a  general  church  ser- 
vice because  the  dinner  hour  in  India  is  about  half-past  seven 
in  the  evening. 

After  dinner  we  attended  a  sort  of  an  informal  service  of 
the  American  part  of  the  North  India  Conference.  It  was 
a  beautiful  service,  full  of  power,  and  their  council  together 
with  the  bishop  presiding  was  wise  and  moderate  in  regard 
to  their  present  condition  of  affairs.  The  next  day  towards 
noon  we  attended  the  full  conference,  where  all  the  Indian 
members  were  present.  They  were  debating  the  tobacco  ques- 
tion, as  some  of  the  native  preachers  were  using  it.  I  was 
invited  to  address  them,  which  I  did,  and  an  interpretr  ren- 
dered it  to  the  Indian  members  in  their  own  language.  It 
was  wonderfully  impressive  to  see  how  animated  these  fifty 
or  sixty  Indian  preachers  were,  and  hear  them  talk  in  their 
language.  There  were  a  few  Eurasians  among  them.  We 
also  visited  the  Methodist  college,  and  it  seems  to  be  doing 


EGYPT  AND  INDIA.  291 

a  good  work.     They  take  good,  needy  boys,  educate  them, 
and  then  they  pay  the  college  back. 

We  found  Lucknow  a  large  city  of  over  200,000  popula- 
tion, but  much  scattered.  There  are  parks,  many  large  trees, 
monkeys  prancing  about,  and  fine  stores,  besides  the  bazaars. 
I  saw  women  turning  stone  mills  by  hand,  same  as  they  do 
in  Palestine;  men  splitting  wood  in  the  streets  for  their  wood 
store,  and  not  ten  feet  away  merchants  selling  dry  goods; 
barbers  shaving  their  customers  in  the  streets  sitting  on  the 
ground;  loose  cattle  walking  around,  and  curious  people 
everywhere,  as  in  every  Indian  city.  The  two  days  we  were 
in  Lucknow  were  ideal  days;  just  the  kind  of  days  that 
nature  puts  on  a  garb  of  rest,  with  not  even  a  passing  breeze 
to  catch  a  trembling  leaf,  with  not  a  cloud  to  dot  the  sky, 
or  cause  a  shadow  from  above.  Much  more  of  interest  I 
saw  in  Lucknow,  yet  I  must  hasten  on.  We  concluded  to  ride 
back  into  the  Presidency  of  Bombay  again,  and  purchased 
tickets  to  Ahmednager,  over  twelve  hundred  miles  away. 


IX. 

JndiUf  "China  and  ^apan. 


We  boarded  our  train  in  the  evening  and  by  morning  were 
passing  through  a  gray  rolling  country  and  could  see  groups 
of  deer  out  in  the  fields,  feeding  on  the  growing  grain  as  in 
places  where  they  could  irrigate,  some  bright,  green  looking 
fields  of  grain  covered  the  ground.  As  we  came  into  Agra 
we  crossed  a  high  iron  bridge,  spanning  a  wide  sandy  river 
bed,  with  a  small  body  of  water  trickling  along.  Just  across 
the  river  as  the  train  swerved  to  one  side  was  a  large,  pecu- 
liar looking  fort,  similar  in  construction  to  the  one  in  Delhi, 
and  its  towers  and  battlements  looked  like  the  walls  encircling 
the  city  of  Jerusalem.  Nothing  else  much  except  a  gray  col- 
orless landscape  in  sight,  a  brisk  north  wind  blowing,  catch- 
ing little  dry  wisps  of  grass  and  leaves  and  twirling  them  into 
little  eddies  by  the  roadside;  then  a  stronger  sweep  of  wind 
would  send  them  flying  into  the  air  in  a  whirling  cloud  of 
dust  and  sand. 

About  a  mile  down  the  river,  standing  in  bold  outlines 
against  the  gray  sky,  amid  bowers  of  green  foliage,  is  the 
"Taj."  Lord  Roberts  once  said  "It  is  worth  a  trip  to  India 
to  see  the  Taj.'  We  came  to  Agra  to  see  this  wonder  of 
wonders.  Leaving  our  luggage  in  the  station  just  beyond  the 
large  fort,  and  having  all  the  afternoon,  we  decided  to  walk, 
yet  the  road  leading  around  would  cause  us  to  walk  about 
two  and  one-half  miles. 

The  air  was  cool  and  bracing  as  the  north  wind  was  bring- 
ing to  us  fresh  ozone  from  the  snow-clad  Himalayas  in  the. 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  293 

north,  though  out  of  sight  Just  by  this  great  red  fortress  of 
Agra,  built  about  three  hundred  years  ago,  and  large  enough, 
as  it  was,  to  be  both  fort  and  palace  for  the  king  of  India, 
our  road  led  us,  and  into  an  avenue  bordered  by  baboo  trees 
(from  which  the  gum  Arabic  of  commerce  is  obtained)  and 
also  pepul  trees.  As  we  wended  our  way  towards  the  "Taj," 
.fitful  gusts  of  wind  caught  us  abreast  as  we  pushed  along; 
and  the  ever  present  natives  went  scurrying  by  like  peacocks 
on  the  fly.  Hump-backed  cattle  walked  listlessly  along  nib- 
bling the  falling  leaves,  even  though  dry  and  brown.  The  ca- 
pricious crow  was  cawing  in  the  trees,  or  circling  around  pre- 
paring to  alight  on  the  ground.  We  were  sauntering  in  In- 
dia's land  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  something  grand.  While 
walking  briskly,  I  recalled  the  story,  an  Oriental  one,  tinged 
with  romance  and  love:  Shah  Jehan,  the  grandson  of  Ak- 
bar  the  Great,  the  first  Mogul  Emperor  of  Hindustan,  wooed 
and  won  a  beautiful  Persian  lady  by  the  name  of  Mumtaz- 
I-Mahal.  After  a  few  years  and  during  the  first  year  of  his 
reign  as  Sultan  of  India,  his  wife  died,  and  he  vowed  that  he 
would  build  the  finest  tomb  in  the  world.  For  seventeen  years 
the  work  went  on,  with  all  the  skill  and  wealth  of  India  to 
draw  from.  We  were  about  to  see  the  work  he  wrought,  by 
looking  at  the  tomb  of  Taj  Mahal.  We  approached  a  large 
doorway,  with  a  succession  of  walls  and  towers  on  each  side, 
and  entered.  Just  a  park  of  grass  and  trees  and  the  wall 
enlarged  as  it  encircled  the  same,  gathering  red  sandstone 
buildings  in  its  course,  and  capped  with  towers.  This  area 
was  large — perhaps  five  acres.  Passing  part  way  across  this 
enclosure  we  turned  into  another  great  arched  doorway  of  red 
sandstone,  and  beyond,  down  several  steps,  out  across  a  garden 
of  beautiful  trees  and  flowers,  with  twenty  fountains  and  a 
clear  stream  of  water,  basins  of  gold  fish,  and  velvety  green 
gTZSs  between,  was  the  tomb  "Taj  Mahal."  Was  it  a  mirage 
or  was  it  a  dream  ?  Was  it  a  fancy  of  some  phantom  beyond  ? 
Is  it  a  mystic  enchantment  ?  To  correctly  describe  it  one  needs 
the  genius  of  the  architect  that  planned  this  final  great  won- 
der of  the  world.     Down  at  the  end  of  a  stone  walk,  then 


294  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

up  some  steps  on  a  great  white  marble  platform  stands  the 
Taj,  four-square,  with  the  corners  rounded,  as  any  square 
corner  would  mar  its  harmonies.  In  the  center  rises  a  full, 
round,  white  dome,  and  ^at  each  corner  are  four  smaller  domes, 
upheld  by  arches.  Latticed  screens  of  marble,  little  half  hid- 
den recesses — ^half  arch,  half  dome — and  surmounted  by  small 
pinnacles,  all  towering  aloft  in  graceful  harmony.  Was  this 
all?  No.  Over  all  this  work  was  sculpture,  carving,  inlaid 
frets  and  scrolls,  twining  vines  and  garlands  of  pearls,  agate, 
cornelian  and  colored  marble,  until  vine  and  interlacing 
stems,  and  flowers  to  blend,  were  as  real  as  nature's  growth. 
No  paint  or  pigment  on  the  whole,  yet  each  color  so  perfect 
it  enchanted  my  soul.  Was  it  a  dream  to  fade  away,  or  some 
Arabian  nights  come  to  stay?  Are  those  only  whispers  of 
color,  or  is  it  something  that  is  real  today?  Magical  and 
mythical  it  did  seem  until  I  saw  its  shadow  from  the  sun's 
bright  gleam.  I  then  paced  around  its  base  below,  to  make 
sure  it  could  not  be  an  illusion.  Would  that  I  could  tell  you 
of  its  beauty,  so  charming  and  complete  in  every  way.  I 
would  have  to  be  a  Homer  and  a  Socrates,  too,  in  order  to 
fully  paint  this  picture  to  you.  There  never  was  a  tomb  so 
fine,  not  even  General  Grant's  on  Riverside  Drive.  In  match- 
less colors  and  wondrous  taste,  it  stands  unrivaled  among  all 
tombs  of  the  past.  Agate  and  Jasper  with  the  stones  of  Jade, 
were  used  to  festoon  each  garland  with  grace.  Each  flower 
is  so  perfect  in  color  and  kind,  as  to  almost  approach  the  sub- 
lime. "Nothing  but  stones"  I  hear  you  say.  Yes,  but  real 
artists  have  toiled  many  days  to  bring  each  stone  and  gem  in 
full  sway,  the  whole  presenting  a  beautiful  picture  of  today. 
I  was  glad  to  see  the  tomb  of  "Taj  Mahal,"  because  it  is 
more  beautiful  than  gold.  My  soul  was  enraptured  as  I 
walked  away,  because  there  is  beauty  in  the  world  of  today. 

Before  leaving  the  grounds  I  looked  down  in  the  Jumna 
river,  as  we  were  on  the  high  banks  overlooking  the  trick- 
ling river  and  its  bed  of  sand.  In  full  view  were  two  groups 
of  vukures  picking  away,  as  two  Hindoos  lay,  partly  sub- 
merged in  the  flow  of  the  river  below.    All  over  India  there 


TAJ     MAHAL, 

AGRA,   INDIA 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  295 

is  always  fish,  as  a  prominent  dish,  on  each  bill  of  fare.  Know- 
ing that  Central  India  is  a  long  ways  from  any  ocean  waves, 
we  suddenly  lost  our  taste  for  fish  and  ate  no  more  on  India's 
shore.  Passing  out  I  admired  the  roses  of  many  kinds  and 
colors,  looked  at  the  poinsettias,  the  only  ones  I  saw  in  India, 
and  walked  back,  going  by  the  fort  again,  looking  grim  and 
gray  as  the  day  was  wearing  away. 

I  thought  of  the  time  when  this  king  was  in  his  prime,  and 
built  this  fort,  with  its  palace  and  court.  He  had  a  black 
marble  throne  erected  on  this  wall  above,  and  used  to  watch 
the  tigers  and  buffaloes  fight  below,  while  his  court  jester 
stood  behind,  to  make  him  merry  as  the  fight  went  on. 

This  was  over  three  hundred  years  ago,  when  this  king 
lived  in  splendor  and  barbarism,  too,  yet  this  quadrangle  of 
land  still  lies  beside  the  fort,  where  the  king  used  to  watch 
these  beasts  and  call  it  sport. 

As  we  walked  along  with  a  pace  full  and  strong  the  gloom 
of  darkness  was  gathering,  and  I  heard  a  song.  Some  men 
were  approaching  in  a  funeral  procession,  carrying  a  corpse 
aloft,  covered  with  a  red  cloth ;  as  they  paced  together,  their 
singing  was  peculiar,  as  it  seemed  to  be  a  rhyme,  without  any 
time.  What  they  intended  to  do  I  easily  foreknew,  as  any 
fire  burns  much  brighter  when  the  day  is  waning  away.  We 
reached  the  station  in  time  for  an  early  supper,  then  gathered 
up  our  luggage  and  boarded  our  usual  sleeper. 

As  our  train  speeded  away  from  Agra  I  thought  a  Briton 
would  see  India  much  different.  He  would  never  pass  Cawn- 
pore,  without  looking  at  the  place  where  the  massacre  of  Eng- 
lish people  occurred  in  1857,  and  he  would  wander  about  the 
stone  heights  and  ledges  at  Delhi,  with  maps  in  his  hand,  as 
we  saw  parties  of  English  people  doing,  and  point  with  sword 
or  cane  to  positions  occupied  as  Delhi  was  retaken.  We  had 
looked  on  the  historic  places  in  Lucknow,  gazed  into  a  little 
enclosure  where  two  thousand  mutineers  were  slain,  yet  some- 
how our  pulses  did  not  beat  any  quicker,  nor  did  we  care  to 
read  up  all  the  details  of  the  great  mutiny  of  1857.  All  Britons 
who  belong  to  or  are  a  part  of  the  so-called  "smart  set,"  and 


296  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

they  are  very  much  in  sight  in  all  these  Elastern  lands,  have 
very  little  regard  for  the  average  American.  If  an  American 
drops  into  their  ways,  wearing  a  waist  and  long-tailed  coat  at 
each  dinner  of  table  d'hote,  with  an  immaculate  shirt  front  all 
studded  with  gems,  and  finger  rings  of  diamonds  true,  sipping 
his  tea  or  coffee  and  toast  as  he  lies  in  bed  before  the  sun 
comes  forth,  breakfast  at  eleven,  and  tiffin  at  one,  with  an 
afternoon  tea  as  the  clock  points  to  four,  not  forgetting  to 
talk  of  English  history  and  deeds  of  valor,  and  having  plenty 
of  time  to  play  cards  just  for  sport,  "don't  yer  know,"  with 
games  of  polo  when  the  weather  is  fine,  then  you  are  an  Ameri- 
can true  with  all  the  regards  of  these  British  with  you. 

Next  morning,  January  7,  we  were  passing  through  a  pecu- 
liar looking  country.  There  are  hills  almost  like  small  moun- 
tains, not  in  apparent  ranges,  but  rising  abruptly  from  these 
great  plains,  and  some  of  their  tops  are  clipped  off  square.  In 
places  there  are  many  trees  and  most  of  them  were  in  full 
leaf,  yet  out  on  the  plains  of  India  I  saw  none  of  the  pine, 
cypress  or  cedar  family  of  trees.  Abundance  of  life  every- 
where, parrots,  pigeons,  peacocks  and  birds  tliat  I  knew  not 
the  names  of;  monkeys,  gazelles,  deer,  and  out  in  the  jungle 
where  brush,  trees  and  tall  grass  grows,  are  the  leopard  and 
tiger,  watching  for  their  prey.  Residents  of  India  get  into 
a  habit  of  calling  all  the  country  not  in  cultivation  a  jungle, 
which  is  misleading,  yet  at  times  our  train  ran  through  wide 
areas  of  country  that  was  real  jungle. 

The  roadbeds  are  ballasted  with  rock;  the  stations  are  fine, 
and  there  is  no  dust  on  these  Indian  railroads.  Each  large 
station  has  good  dining  rooms  where  European  food  is  served, 
and  at  moderate  rates.  Something  of  interest  to  look  at  all 
the  day  long:  stations  full  of  people,  much  native  travel,  some 
of  them  dressed  and  some  undressed,  many  women  wearing 
rings  in  their  ears,  some  in  their  none,  nearly  all  bracelets  on 
their  ankles  and  many  of  them  wear  rings  on  their  toes,  and 
not  a  few  with  more  than  one  pair  of  bracelets  on  their  arms, 
cheap  and  tawdry  to  our  eyes,  but  perhaps  looking  difftrent  to 
them.    In  the  first  and  second  class  cars  (and  all  the  eight 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  297 

wheel  cars  are  called  "bogie")  there  is  more  room  for  toilet, 
shaving  and  luggage  than  in  America  or  Europe. 

The  next  morning  our  train  was  in  the  Bombay  Presi- 
dency, as  it  includes  a  large  area  of  country.  Here  cotlon  is 
raised  to  some  extent,  where  rains  are  sufficient  in  the  mou- 
soon  season.  In  no  country  does  cotton  have  as  long  a  staple 
as  in  America,  therefore  all  cotton  weavers  have  to  obtain 
American  cotton  to  weave  fine  fabrics.  There  had  been  some 
rain,  yet  not  sufficient  to  start  the  grass,  and  the  corntry 
looked  dry,  with  scarcely  anything  growing.  The  moisture  had 
brought  many  butterflies,  and  troops  of  them  in  colors  gay 
were  flitting  along  all  day.  An  aimless,  wandering  butterfly, 
yet  perhaps  tomorrow  it  will  die.  True  of  men  and  creatures, 
too,  in  this  changing  world  below. 

As  I  have  wrkten  before,  I  missed  the  wild  flowers — for 
thousands  of  miles  and  in  many  strange  countries  they  had 
been  my  constant  companions.  I  was  lonely  without  them,  a 
charm  was  gone  from  my  life,  as  their  upturned  faces  are 
always  to  me  a  source  of  pleasure  and  delight.  "Only  a 
glance"  you  may  say,  "that  anyone  can  get  from  flowers  on 
the  way."  Yes,  yet  a  glance  is  worth  moro  than  a  gold  mine, 
if  it  is  filled  with  love  divine. 

The  day  passed  by,  as  all  days  do,  seeing  many  things,  j'et  I 
can  only  record  a  few.  Again  we  turned  cur  cushioned  seats 
into  a  sleeping  couch.  In  the  morning  we  were  approaching 
Ahmednager,  and  but  few  trees  dotted  the  landscape,  quite 
different  from  the  parts  of  India  we  had  seen  with  many 
trees  of  different  kinds.  A  range  of  small  mountains  ran 
circuitously  along  and  the  country  looked  dry.  How  the  peo- 
ple of  the  many  villages  all  lived,  puzzled  me,  then  I  tenrem- 
bered  that  this  was  a  portion  of  the  great  famine  districts, 
and  the  people  did  not  starve  because  there  was  nothing  to 
eat,  but  because  they  had  nothing  to  purchase  food  with.  Just 
a  little  after  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  our  train  arrived 
in  Ahmednager.  We  hired  a  tonga  and  drove  directly  to  the 
mission  industrial  works.  As  we  rode  along,  something 
seemed  to  be  out  of  joint.    Little,  hastily  constructed,  flimsy- 


298  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

looking  huts  and  cheap  native  tents  were  strung  along  each 
side  of  the  road.     Store  keepers  were  selling  goods  out  of 
the  cheapest,  rudest  tents — vegetables  and  bread  wert;  sold  in 
the  open  air,  intermingled  with  flies  and  dust.     Out  in  the 
open  fields  were  other  tents,  or  groups  of  them,  and    every- 
where the  people  just  seemed  to  be  staying,  not  permanently 
living.     Many  carts  loaded  with  cotton  and  drawn  by  oxen, 
all  going  toward  some  large  gins,  and  hay,  wood  and  baled 
cotton  were  being  drawn  in  other  carts  here  and  there.     A 
curious  and  at  the  same  time  anomalous  condition  of  affairs. 
We  rode  up  to  the  factory,  over  one  mile  from  the  station, 
dismissed  our  tonga,  and  noting  that  all  seemed  quiel,  asked 
for  the  superintendent.     He  soon  came  and  then  for  the  first 
time  we  learned  the  true  condition  of  affairs.    He  said,  "About 
fifty  are  dying  each  day  in  Ahmednager  of  the  bubonic  plague, 
out  of  a  population  of  about  twenty-five  thousand.     Same  of 
my  men  have  it  and  we  are  all  being  vaccinated."     Talking 
still  further  and  finding  that  the  business  we  came  on  was 
not  obtainable  of  him,  we  concluded  to  leave  Ahmednager  on 
the  next  train.     On  foot  we  started  for  the  station,  and  saw 
the  quarantine  flag  erected  here  and  there  as  gingerly  and 
tenderly  we  trod  along — the  air  and  dust  seemed  to  be  full 
of  disease   and   death.     Nobody  knows  just   what  the   germ 
is,  or  how  people  take  it.    They  are  well  today  and  frc((uently 
dead  tomorrow.     It  is  the  same  disease  that  depopulated  Lon- 
don in   1665.     It  is  worse  in  the  cool  weather  of  winter  in 
India,  and  its  history  shows  that  in  its  first  attack  on  a  vil- 
lage  or   city,  that   it   runs   out   in   about  two   and  one-half 
months.     Then  when  it  comes  again  the  next  or  suoreeding 
year,  it  is  more  fatal  and  lasts  twice  as  long  in  running  its 
course.     The  third  time  it  comes  is  still  worse,  almcist  like  a 
sweeping  epidemic.     One   hundred  thousand   in  the   Punjab 
district  alone  died  last  year,   and  the  disease  is  slowly  but 
surely  spreading  all  over  India.     Like  the  sleeping  sickness 
in  Africa  (80,000  dying  there,  mostly  in  Uganda,  within  four 
years),   it  is  spreading,  creeping  and  growing  in  all   direc- 
tions, even  outside  of  India.    It  seems  to  be  caught  through 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  299 

the  skin,  as  Europeans  and  even  natives  who  wear  shoes  and 
pants  seem  to  escape.  In  any  place  the  rats  get  it  and  die 
first. 

With  sighs  of  relief,  shaking  the  dust  off,  we  readied  the 
station.  No  train  out  for  ten  hours.  I  sat  down  to  meditate 
upon  the  "irrascible  mutations  of  life." 

After  ten  solid  hours  of  meditation  a  train  came  to  take  us 
away.  It  was  Friday  evening  and  200  miles  distant  by  chang- 
ing trains  we  could  reach  Dharangaon,  a  place  wPere  the  Pr- 
niel  Mission  of  Los  Angeles  has  a  station.  We  concluded  to 
call  on  these  people  and  take  a  sort  of  latitudinal  look.  As 
usual,  we  had  our  two  sleeping  couches  on  the  train,  whicli 
was  on  its  way  from  Madras  to  Bombay.  At  Jalgoan  we 
changed  cars  with  a  wait  of  about  three  hours,  but  there  was 
a  fine  waiting  room  and  when  you  have  your  own  bed,  as 
everybody  does  in  the  East,  it  is  easy  to  "take  it  up  and 
walk." 

About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  alighted  from  the 
train  in  Dharangaon,  a  city  of  about  18,000  people.  The  city 
was  there  but  no  people  (entirely  empty)  with  scarcely  a  dog 
walking  on  the  streets.  This  is  a  walled  city  and  all  the  pR)- 
ple  were  camping  out,  not  for  pleasure,  but  because  they  had 
all  been  turned  out  of  their  homes,  and  their  old  homes  were 
all  sealed  up  with  a  government  seal.  They  were  now  living 
in  almost  "any  old  way,"  under  trees,  about  the  fields,  in 
little  shacks,  or  squatting  down  by  the  roadside.  The  piajfUtf 
was  so  bad  in  the  walled  city  that  the  government  officials 
came  along  and  turned  the  people  out,  a  very  wise  thing  to 
do,  as  perhaps  if  this  had  not  occurred  there  would  have 
been  none  left  to  turn  out.  The  plague  was- still  claiming  a 
dozen  or  so  of  its  victims  each  day,  yet  we  were  getting  i»c- 
customed  to  this  sort  of  thing,  as  people  have  to  in  the  East, 
as  they  soon  learn  that  it  is  unwise  to  be  filled  with  trepida- 
tion and  fear. 

We  found  these  ladies  of  the  Mission  living  in  an  old  castle- 
looking  home,  and  if  located  in  England  would  certainly  have 
been  built  by  some  armored  knight  of  the  middle  ages.    As  we 


300  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

entered  the  gate  of  this  enclosed  compound  (not  far  from  the 
walled  city)  and  paced  up  its  walk  to  the  entrance,  I  fully 
expected  to  be  hailed  by  some  grim  looking  sentinel,  like  some 
echo  of  the  past.  They  have  nearly  thirty  orphan  girls,  mostly 
small,  some  grown  up,  waifs  from  the  famine,  and  one  HttU 
boy  among  them.  They  are  training  the  larger  ones  in  ord'ir 
that  they  may  go  among  their  own  people  as  Bible  women.  I 
heard  them  sing  and  testify  with  shining  faces  and  flashing 
eyes,  and  it  seemed  that  their  minds  were  grasping  the  lining 
truth,  as  we  are  told  that  "God  is  no  respecter  of  persons." 

It  was  a  season  of  rest  and  repose,  all  of  Saturday  and  Sun- 
day, too.  In  a  neighboring  government  bungalow  we  spread 
out  our  beds  between  the  two,  not  forgetting  to  look  for  the 
cobra,  as  we  heard  some  tales  that  made  us  shiver  and  shake. 
This  mission  with  trust  and  hope  is  laying  the  foundations 
of  what  they  call  a  '^bungalow,"  and  I  saw  several  Indiam, 
digging  the  well  through  rock  and  shale — a  circular  opening 
several  feet  in  diameter,  with  water  gathering  in  the  bottom 
a  good  many  feet  in  depth.  I  heard  the  government  official 
isay  to  Miss  Shearer,  on  Sunday,  "One  of  the  men  working 
on  your  well  yesterday  died  of  the  plague  today." 

The  remark  caused  no  surprise,  as  it  would  if  uttered  in 
America.  I  have  talked  with  missionaries  in  many  separate 
parts  of  India.  Nobody  knows  in  America,  except  they  come 
and  see,  of  the  work  that  missionaries  do,  and  of  the  priva- 
tions they  go  through,  yet  to  the  true  missionary  (and  I  saw 
no  others)  each  difficulty  only  presents  an  opportunity.  The 
real  cause  and  want  of  greater  success  in  missions  is  in  so- 
called  "Christian  lands."  The  man  or  woman  in  England  or 
America  that  gives  a  few  dimes  to  missions,  and  one  hundred 
dollars  to  build  and  adorn  some  costly  home  church  that  never 
prays  for  a  foreign  mission,  that  breathes  a  sigh  of  relief 
when  the  missionary  collection  is  raised,  knows  of  and  cares 
but  little  for  missionary  work. 

With  the  scanty  funds  with  which  missionaries  are  provided 
I  think  they  are  accomplishing  real  miracles.  Then  again, 
real  men  and  women  are  wanted  as  well  as  money,  that  are 


NATIVE    CARTS    I^OADED  WITH  COTTON 

DHARANGON.    INDIA 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  801 

"called  by  the  Lord,"  as  there  are  many,  many  millions  of 
even  India's  280,000,000  that  have  never  heard  about  Jesus 
the  Saviour,  and  never  will  under  the  present  order  of  things. 
The  Indian  people  are  different  from  your  idea  of  them.  Sad- 
.dled  with  notions  of  caste,  almost  entirely  destitute  of  any 
eense  of  gratitude;  immorality  and  Mohammedanism  running 
.rampant  in  the  land,  unable  to  comprehend  even  if  converted 
that  anybody  should  do  Christian  work  without  pay,  crafty 
and  cunning  on  their  level,  and  if  you  treat  them  too  kindly 
they  will  respect  you  less,  taking  kindness  for  weakness.  Could 
you  expect  them  to  be  different?  I  do  not  think  it  wise  to 
educate  them  into  English  or  American  ways  and  customs,  as 
that  only  will  increase  their  wants,  and  for  missionary  work 
js  only  a  detriment  to  them.  There  is  a  hope  that  in  the 
different  training  schools  natives  will  go  out  equipped  for  the 
work,  therefore  if  these  lines  greet  anyone  in  California  who 
is  helping  the  Peniel  work  in  Dharangaon,  do  not  withdraw 
your  support,  as  out  of  this  little  training  school  some 
"Amanda  Smith"  may  sweep  through  hundreds  of  Indian 
villages  with  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  the  Word 
until  thousands  may  turn  and  "live." 

After  dark  Sunday  evening  we  again  boarded  a  railroad 
train,  this  time  for  a  run  almost  all  the  way  across  India  to 
Calcutta,  the  metropolis  of  India.  We  were  glad  to  get  on 
pur  train  again  as  we  traveled  in  India  4870  miles,  being  in 
the  country  twenty-one  days,  and  only  four  nights  did  we  stay 
in  hotels  or  bungalows.  The  rattle  and  roar  of  the  moving 
trains  became  music  to  my  ears,  and  the  novelty  of  being 
aroused  from  a  deep  sleep  at  the  midnight  hour  by  some  doc- 
tor, who,  for  safety,  would  demand  that  he  feel  of  my  pulse 
to  see  if  I  had  the  plague  was  something  one  will  not  find  in 
-America. 

We  had  another  long  ride  before  us  of  three  nights  and  a 
little  over  two  days  to  reach  Calcutta,  next  to  the  largest  city 
in  Asia.  Our  booking  was  by  the  Bengal  and  Nagpur  R.  R., 
the  most  direct  route.  We  wanted  to  book  via  Benares  and 
isee  the  monkeys,  as  they  are  so  plentiful,  and  the  Hindoos  will 


302  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

not  have  any  killed.  Only  a  few  years  ago  they  caught  over 
one  thousand  in  Benares,  and  putting  them  in  sacks  carried 
them  off  to  other  parts  of  India.  A  monkey  is  a  peculiar 
animal,  and  I  never  tired  in  watching  them  caper  about,  and 
wild  monkeys  are  much  sleeker  looking  than  any  that  Italian 
organ  grinders  lead  around  with  a  string  in  America.  I  re- 
member that  when  we  were  in  Delhi  looking  at  the  great  ele- 
(Phant  parade  (the  grandest  pageant  in  all  the  world)  that  a 
iband  of  monkeys  came  leaping  from  one  large  tree  top  to 
another  until  they  reached  the  side  of  the  street  where  I  stood, 
and  as  Lord  Kitchener,  Lord  and  Lady  Curzon,  and  all  the 
rest  of  the  nobility  were  riding  by,  these  monkeys  were  curled 
up  in  those  tree-tops  like  squirrels,  peeping  down  over  and 
around  the  limbs;  I  presume  they  were  trying  to  calculate  (as 
they  sat  there  entirely  motionless)  "how  long  it  would  take" 
(by  the  process  of  evolution,  before  their  descendants  could 
ride  by  an  applauding  multitude  like  those  they  saw  below. 
At  Jalgaon  we  changed  trains,  where  we  could  then  make  up 
our  beds  as  usual,  and  were  swiftly  whirled  away  toward  the 
east.  In  our  compartment  was  a  Parsee,  his  wife,  their  little 
boy  and  an  Indian  servant.  This  family  of  Parsees  were  ele- 
gantly dressed,  as  they  all  are.  The  gentleman  wore  the  Eu- 
ropean style  of  dress  except  the  hat,  in  place  of  which  they 
wear  a  tall,  black,  shining  cap,  slanting  on  one  side  to  the 
(top,  in  which  there  is  an  opening  where  they  carry  a  hand- 
kerchief. The  lady  had  garments  on  similar  to  European 
dress,  only  instead  of  being  cut  close  fitting,  like  a  waist,  the 
(dress  was  folded  over  the  shoulders  in  graceful  folds,  and 
tvery  richly  embroidered  by  hand. 

A  range  of  small  mountains  were  south  of  us  toward  the 
east,  and  all  day  long  there  was  the  usual  Indian  life,  full 
of  color,  charm  and  novelty.  I  was  never  tired  of  looking, 
except  when  too  sleepy,  at  this  kaliedoscope  of  Indian  life  and 
character,  a  strange  picture  with  a  mottled  appearance.  Again 
I  noticed  a  feature  o-f  life,  where,  as  I  had  seen  before  over 
very  large  areas  of  India,  many  women  seem  to  make  a  busi- 
ness of  gathering  up  the  excrement  of  cattle,  on  the  streets 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  303 

and  in  the  fields,  and  by  the  roadside,  then  in  their  door- 
yards,  they  take  this  excrement,  mix  in  a  little  straw  with 
water,  and  mold  into  cakes  for  fuel.  I  have  seen  in  the 
cities,  stores  for  selling  this  fuel,  and  cakes  of  it  plastered  on 
or  near  the  front  entrance  for  their  advertisement,  and  to 
see  women  carrying  great  loads  of  it  in  baskets  on  their  heads 
is  a  common  sight.  There  are  some  good  large  tangerine 
oranges  raised.  I  saw  no  good  oranges  of  any  other  va- 
riety. 

At  every  station  there  are  plenty  of  men  waitang  to  carry 
your  luggage,  and  if  you  carry  it  yourself  you  lose  respect 
among  the  natives.  It  seems  strange  to  hear  men  and  women 
•calling  out  "coolie"  and  the  coolies  come  running  to  carry 
your  baggage  for  a  few  pice  or  an  anna  or  two — only  a  trifle. 
These  Indian  people  seem  to  expect  to  be  servants  and  I  have 
seen  even  good  Methodists  going  to  church  in  India,  with  a 
servant  walking  along  at  a  respectful  distance  in  the  rear, 
carrying  some  wrap  or  any  other  article  for  the  "Sahibs." 
There  is  rice  served  and  eaten  in  India,  and  the  East,  in  Euro- 
pean and  American  homes  more  than  in  their  home  lands,  but 
the  cooks  get  all  the  broth,  the  very  best  part  of  the  rice. 
These  cooks  say  that  the  "Sahib,"  the  name  they  call  their 
masters,  should  have  the  rice  come  upon  the  table  looking 
nice,  so  after  it  is  cooked  they  put  it  in  cold  water,  which 
separates  all  the  kernels,  then  warm  it  up  again  to  serve  to  the 
"Sahib,"  and  they  eat  the  broth.  All  rice  is  served  with 
curry,  many  kinds  of  spices  ground  up  together,  with  chicken, 
meat  or  vegetables,  and  about  everything  else  at  times,  you 
can  think  of. 

The  little  trials  of  life  are  very  great  in  India.  When  it 
rains  in  the  monsoon  season,  the  flying  bugs  are  so  thick 
you  cannot  sit  by  a  lamp  or  light  of  any  kind,  and  white  ants 
will  eat  up  your  sugar  and  jam,  and  they  will  commence  to  eat 
up  the  house,  and  the  cockroaches  as  large  as  mice  (some  of 
them),  will  eat  up  your  clothes;  cobras  will  live  in  and 
around  the  house,  the  servants  will  be  slow  and  moderate, 
and  the  weather  is  so  hot  the  "memsahib"  has  to  let  them  have 


304  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

their  own  way.  On  the  morning  of  the  30th  we  were  pass- 
ing through  a  beautiful  looking  country  in  Central  India.  It 
was  another  ideal  day,  with  a  little  haze,  of  ribbon-like  streaks, 
ribbed  against  the  sky  enough  to  hold  the  sun's  bright  glare, 
and  robe  the  earth  with  a  soft  mellow  light;  just  that  sort 
of  day  to  charm  and  beautify  each  object  seen,  until  all  the 
world  around  imparted  a  reflection  on  each  passing  moment 
of  sense  and  thought.  I  noticed  many  spider  webs,  woven  on 
little  clumps  of  grass,  dry  stalks,  or  any  protruding  object 
above  the  ground.  We  saw  many  fields  of  nice  looking  grow- 
ing grain,  not  large  enough  to  yet  throw  up  their  stalks  and 
heads,  also  fields  of  Egyptian  corn.  During  the  day  some 
'hills  were  a  feature  of  the  landscape,  and  the  farther  we 
traveled  to  the  east,  as  the  annual  rainfall  increases,  the 
country  looked  more  prosperous.  Our  Parsee  friends  were 
still  in  our  compartment,  and  at  every  large  station  other 
richly  dressed  Parsees  would  meet  and  greet  them,  and  hand 
in  beautiful  bouquets  of  flowers,  which  their  servant  would 
take  and  lay  up  on  a  shelf  in  the  lavatory,  a  curious  proceed- 
ing, uncared  for  and  forgotten.  Each  important  railroad 
station  was  fairly  embowered  in  a  wealth  of  flowers,  climbing 
roses  and  vines,  and  rare  trees,  the  best  collection,  and  at- 
tended with  more  care  than  any  series  of  plots  that  I  saw 
elsewhere  in  India.  The  most  common  flower  is  the  terra 
cotta  bougainvillea.  Thus  another  day  passed  away,  gone  to 
join  those  on  before. 

The  next  morning  we  were  in  a  still  different  country. 
Water  standing  in  pools,  thickets  of  bamboo,  and  many  banana 
trees  with  fruit  hanging  on  them,  little  villages  everywhere 
swarming  with  people,  cattle  out  on  the  meadows,  and  at 
times  the  fog  was  as  impenetrable  as  it  is  sometimes  on  the 
California  coast.  About  ten  o'clock  our  train  came  to  How- 
rah;  we  alighted,  hiring  a  gharry  and  driving  over  a  bridge, 
■were  in  Calcutta,  where  in  the  native  parts  of  the  city  the 
people  are  thicker  than  peas  are  in  pods,  streets  so  narrow 
that  you  have  to  elbow  your  way  through — just  people,  until 
you  wonder  why  they  are  all  there,  unless  it  is  to  count  In  a 


INDIA.  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  305 

census.  We  drove  to  the  shipping  offices,  and  learning  that 
we  could  book  to  Hong  Kong  by  a  steamer  departing  in  three 
days,  we  purchased  our  tickets,  and  having  been  invited  by 
Dr.  Robinson  to  tiffin  at  half  past  one,  we  arranged  to  leave 
our  baggage  there,  and  concluded  to  visit  Darjeeling,  three 
ihundred  and  eighty  miles  north  of  Calcutta,  and  take  our 
chances  on  the  weather  being  clear,  about  seeing  the  tallest 
and  biggest  mountains  in  the  world.  It  was  only  an  idea, 
yet  most  everybody  has  ideas,  and  Mount  Everest  is  bigger 
than  any  idea  I  know  of,  therefore  after  tiffin  with  Dr.  Rob- 
inson and  family,  we  again  took  a  gharry,  drove  to  the  sta- 
tion, booked  ourselves  to  Darjeeling,  boarded  a  train  in  wait- 
ing and  were  soon  in  pursuit  of  a  chance  to  see  the  tallest 
mountain  in  the  world. 

We  were  pursuing  a  very  forlorn  hope,  as  Dr.  Robinson  told 
us.  "On  account  of  clouds  and  mist  you  may,  and  you  may 
not  see  Mount  Everest;  it  is  only  a  chance."  And  we  only 
had  a  few  hours  to  stay  in  Darjeeling.  All  this  time  and 
trouble,  too,  just  to  see  a  mountain  view,  just  to  catch  a 
passing  glance  at  the  tallest  spot  on  our  world's  expanse. 
Elmer  had  his  usual  hope,  as  he  said  to  me  when  our  train 
started,  "I  think  we  will  see  this  mountain  top  because  we 
Jiave  such  good  luck."  Cloudy  and  gray,  with  a  dull  color- 
less sky  was  the  outlook  above.  We  saw  gardens  with  many 
trees  and  cotton  and  jute  mills  belching  forth  black  smoke, 
as  Calcutta  has  a  good  many  jute  mills,  though  not  as  many 
cotton  mills  as  Bombay. 

Just  after  dark  we  commenced  to  unroll  our  bedding,  when 
a  gentleman  in  our  compartment  said:  "We  soon  have  to 
cross  the  Ganges  in  a  steamer."  About  eight  o'clock  we  came 
to  the  Ganges  river,  where  a  pretty  little  steamer  was  in 
waiting.  As  soon  as  the  passengers  were  all  on  the  steamer 
the  dinner  bell  sounded,  and  while  crossing  the  Ganges  the 
waiters  ran,  the  dishes  flew,  and  a  Parsee  took  in  the  rupees. 
I  peered  below  into  the  swirling  waters,  but  could  see  no  alli- 
gators or  crocodiles.  The  river  is  wide,  taking  about  one-half 
hour  to  sail  across,  then  all  the  passengers  scrambled  into  an- 
other train.     There  were  a  good  many  English  and  some 


306  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING    THE   GLOBE. 

Americans.  Then  we  retired  with  our  bedding  again,  with 
only  a  hard  seat  to  sleep  on  this  time,  scarcely  as  wide  as  our 
width  across,  yet  we  were  contented,  because  it  was  the  best 
we  could  get,  sleeping  so  sound  that  we  had  no  time  to  roll 
pflf.  Early  in  the  morning  I  awoke  and  not  far  away  I  could 
see  the  approaching  Himalayas,  only  the  lower  part  of  them, 
as  all  of  their  tops  were  enveloped  with  clouds  as  black  as  any 
black  cat,  and  out  on  the  plains  the  mists  were  so  gray  that 
they  obscured  the  sun,  as  that  orb  appeared  for  the  day. 

At  Siliguri  Junction  we  alighted  from  our  train,  and  just 
across  the  platform  stood  a  little  humpty  dumpty  train,  with 
no  sides  except  curtains,  an  awning  top  and  only  a  few  seats 
and  chairs  facing  each  other,  in  the  smallest  of  coaches,  and 
the  track  only  two  feet  wide.  We  had  fifty  males  to  travel  on 
this  little  mountain  railway,  climbing  four  feet  to  the  hundred 
up  the  grandest  mountains  in  the  world.  We  boarded  the 
train,  with  no  seats  to  spare,  and  began  the  ascent.  For  the 
first  few  miles  the  grade  is  easy,  just  passing  along  a  roadway 
with  bamboo  thickets  here  and  there,  and  some  tea  plantations, 
short,  thick  bushes,  covered  with  dark  green  \ea.\  es  and  planted 
in  rows  like  grape  vines.  On  the  roadside  is  also  grass,  in 
some  places  twenty  feet  high,  and  trees  as  large  js  forest  trees, 
with  not  a  leaf  on  them,  yet  full  of  red  blossoms,  about  as 
large  as  carnations,  called  the  cotton  tree — as  beautiful  a  pic- 
ture as  I  ever  saw — such  large  trees,  with  such  brilliant  flowers 
on  them. 

Suddenly  we  began  to  climb;  panting  and  puffing,  the  little 
toy  train  ran,  zig-zag  and  across  its  own  track,  carving  loops 
&nd  curves,  and  at  times  it  had  to  back  up  an  incline  to  get 
any  foothold  before  it  could  advance  again.  We  sa-w  trees  ol 
wondrous  size,  some  of  them  with  orchids  and  vines  creeping 
up  their  tops.  Trees  out  of  leaf,  others  in  full  leaf,  and,  best 
of  all,  such  a  profusion  of  wild  flowers. 

Full  of  sweetness  and  display. 
Bright  and  graceful  in  their  way; 
Trim  and  modest  as  any  maiden  fair, 
Throwing  bloom  and  beauty  in  the  air. 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  807 

Would  that  I  could  describe  this  wondrous  ride  up  the 
grandest  mountains   in  the  world. 

The  gray  mist  of  the  plains  by  this  time  arose  In  great 
convolvular  folds,  dense  and  dark  in  their  misty  might,  mak- 
ing us  look  like  elfs  in  the  night,  all  loaded  on  some  fairy 
train,  running  to  reach  some  place  in  space.  As  far  as  we 
could  see,  vines,  trees  and  ferns  covered  the  ground,  a  wilder- 
ness, a  jungle  full  of  nature's  growth,  unlike  any  forest  I  had 
ever  seen.  Now  the  great  tulip  tree,  with  bloom  in  a 
scarlet — mahogany, — now  a  creeper  with  flowers  of  white, 
now  some  bushes  as  large  as  trees — then  the  foliage  is  a 
sight  to  see — some  choked  to  death  by  creepers  grow,  as 
poor  and  skinny  as  can  be,  then  there  are  trees  with  leaves 
as  large  as  any  fan  you  ever  saw,  there  are  grasses, 
bamboo  grass  large  and  red,  and  single  giant  stalks  of  tufted 
reed.  I  never  saw  such  a  tangled  growth,  such  a  variety  of 
plants  and  trees,  and  each  one  trying  to  keep  its  pace  and 
outgrow  its  neighbor  in  the  race. 

All  this  time  the  little  train  is  twisting,  circling  and  dodging 
along,  now  under  a  bank  so  steep  and  tall  that  you  shudder 
for  fear  it  may  fall;  then  over  in  the  abyss  we  would  look, 
nothing  but  clouds  and  some  tree  tops,  the  rest  of  the  abyss 
was  of  an  unknown  depth.  This  skein  of  a  road  kept  un- 
reeling, continually  on  a  rising  incline,  until  I  wondered 
where  the  end  of  the  skein  would  be,  if  in  the  snow  of  the 
Himalayas,  or  on  some  cloud  hanging  from  the  sky. 

By  and  by  the  mist  rose  a  little,  the  toy  train  had  reached 
a  higher  level,  the  jungle  is  now  gone,  and  the  slopes  are 
more  open,  with  evergreen  trees  of  a  darker  hue.  A  tree  fern 
nov^  makes  its  graceful  bow,  as  high  as  a  man,  wearing  a 
large  bushy  green  crown,  drooping  gracefully  down,  a  verit- 
able king  among  ferns,  and  always  standing  alone.  The  other 
ferns  stand  around,  like  the  subjects  of  a  king  that  is 
crowned.  Up  we  glide  as  the  minutes  fly,  until  other  patches 
of  dark  forest  dot  the  mountain  side.  These  trees  seem  to 
be  in  deep  mourning,  for  they  cannot  hide  the  many  bunches 
of  brown  dripping  moss  underneath  their  branches  and  on 


308  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

their  sides.  The  engine  gives  another  series  of  panting 
puffs,  a  long  drawn  out  whistle,  and  we  are  at  the  station  in 
Gnoom,  the  highest  point  this  mountain  train  reaches. 

We  looked  aloft  but  no  mountains  could  we  see,  only  mist 
and  clouds  where  the  sky  ought  to  be.  The  tall  Himalayas 
were  somewhere  near,  yet  how  could  we  see  them  until  the 
sky  became  clear?  Passing  along  the  little  street  of  Gnoom, 
with  stores  of  all  kinds  in  rooms  about  ten  feet  square,  the 
little  train  ran  down  grade  for  five  miles  more,  and  we  were 
in  Darjeeling,  the  great  summer  resort  of  India,  and  many 
coming  in  the  winter  also,  from  the  hotter  parts  of  India, 
just  to  know  how  it  seems  to  get  cool,  if  for  only  a  few  days. 

We  found  a  hotel  to  our  liking,  and  as  we  told  the  proprietor 
how  we  came  to  Darjeeling  to  see  the  mountains,  he  shrugged 
his  shoulders  and  replied:  "It  has  been  cloudy  for  several 
days,  and  perhaps  if  you  stay  several  days  you  may  get  a 
chance  to  see  them."  I  replied,  "We  must  return  to  Calcutta 
on  tomorrow  noon's  train."  He  answered,  "Then  there  is  only 
one  chance;  you  have  to  go  six  miles  from  here,  on  top  of 
Tiger  hill  to  see  Mount  Everest,  and  you  should  be  there  be- 
fore sunrise."  We  concluded  to  take  the  chance,  although 
other  people  had  waited  many  days,  and  gone  several  times 
to  Tiger  hill.  We  had  little  hope  of  success.  However,  we 
hired  a  dandy  (two  of  them)  and  were  to  be  awakened  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

It  was  again  fortunate  that  we  had  our  bedding;  as  we 
retired  in  our  hotel  in  Darjeeling  we  found  only  a  bed  and 
mattress  for  each  of  us.  Before  four  o'clock  in  the  morning 
some  tea  and  toast  was  brought  to  our  room,  and  as  we  were 
arranging  our  toilet,  we  sipped  the  tea,  and  ate  the  toast, 
shivering  with  cold,  as  streaks  of  moonlight  and  streaks  of 
mistlight  cast  their  reflections  on  the  floor.  We  found  eight 
coolies  and  two  dandys  waiting  for  us  out  in  the  roadway. 
We  spread  our  bedding  in  them,  stepped  in,  sat  down,  and 
muffling  ourselves  from  the  tip  of  our  heads  to  our  feet,  to 
keep  the  bitter  frosty  cold  out,  we  gave  the  signal  for  start- 
ing.   A  dandy  is  a  wooden,  box-looking  affair,  with  a  seat  to 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  309 

sit  on,  and  two  long  handles,  both  fore  and  aft,  looking  like  a 
sedan  chair  in  China,  only  is  not  covered.  My  four  coolies 
picked  up  my  dandy  and  started,  keeping  up  a  strophe  and 
antistrophe  of  grunts  between  those  in  front  and  those  in 
the  rear,  with  one  of  the  four  emitting  an  extra  big  grimt 
between  their  unison  for  time  and  step.  We  had  six  miles  of 
climbing  to  do  to  reach  the  top  of  Tiger  hill,  changing  about 
as  we  rode  along,  to  continually  face  the  rising  incline.  Be- 
fore a  mile  was  paced  this  way  three  other  dmdys  came 
from  somewhere,  all  silently  joining  our  procession,  except 
the  grunts  in  strophe  form.  Some  horses  and  their  riders 
caught  up  and  joined  the  throng  just  to  see  if  th**.  Himalayas 
were  in  sight  from  Tifjer  hill;  as  many  of  these  would-be 
sightseers  had  repeatedly  made  this  trip,  only  1o  see  some 
clouds  and  mist.  Our  hearts  and  expectations  were  ebbing 
low,  as  the  clouds  were  gathering  until  the  moon  failed  to 
shine,  and  as  we  passed  through  the  village  of  Gnoom,  the 
clouds  were  as  thick  and  dripping  with  mist  as  any  fog  that 
you  ever  saw.  The  padng  still  kept  on,  with  nothing  but  the 
grunts  in  the  way  of  song,  until  we  reached  the  foot  of  Tiger 
hill,  when  my  limbs  w«»re  so  cramped  for  want  of  space,  ana 
the  cold  and  chill  of  the  night  was  so  great,  tliat  I  ordered 
the  coolies  and  their  grunts  to  cease,  bidding  th'jm  to  deposit 
their  dandy  on  the  grc-und,  thus  enabling  me  to  step  out  and 
look  about.  Daylight  was  approaching  and  I  concluded  to 
walk,  starting  off  on  a  run  to  get  warm.  Hopes  were  still 
faint,  as  the  clouds  seemed  large  and  dense,  yek  I  pushed  on 
and  up  with  a  detemined  step  to  get  to  the  top  of  Tiger 
hill  before  sunrise.  I  heard  a  shout  on  ahead  and  ran  to 
see  the  cause.  Some  people  had  reached  the  top  and  were 
looking  to  the  north.  Breathless  and  tired  I  ran  up  the  last 
incline  and  was  on  the  top  of  Tiger  hill — 8000  feet  in  alti- 
tude. I  saw  the  sun  was  just  coming  up  and  that  the  tops  of 
the  mountains  were  clear. 

Forty  miles  away  is  a  noble  range,  once  thought  to  be  the 
highest  in  the  world — 28,150  feet  high — by  the  name  of  Kin- 
chinjunga.    A  thrilling  sight  of  snowy  heights  over  five  miles 


310  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

high.  I  then  looked  a  little  farther  v;est  and  there  was  Mount 
Everest,  with  not  a  cloud  on  its  top,  yet  it  was  120  miles 
away.  Our  chanc;  succeeded,  and  we  could  s«e  the  tallest 
mountains  in  all  the  world. 

Just  six  months  ago  at  this  very  hour  w«;  were  leaving  our 
California  home,  with  mountains  nearly  12,000  feet  in  alti- 
tude near.  I  had  often  thought  in  my  boyhood  days  that  I 
would  love  to  se'i  these  Himalayas,  and  now  I  could  see  their 
tallest  peak,  measuring  29,o<>2  feet— over  five  and  one-half 
miles.  My  sou?  was  electrified,  and  filled  with  thoughts  al- 
most sublime.  No  mortal  man  ever  climbed  those  dazzling 
snow-clad  heights.  Nobody  but  angels  clad  in  white  ever 
stood  on  those  mountain  tups — a  good  place,  to  rest  in  their 
flight.  My  soul  was  all  aglow,  as  each  golden  moment  flew, 
I  looked  and  loved  the  malcer  of  those  Aironderful  peaks  above. 
Fittingly  it  seemed  that  these  peaks  shcmld  'be  robed  in  white, 
and  beyond  the  reach  of  dust  or  heat,  as  within  their  folded 
robes  is  snow  and  ice  that  gathered  and  fell  from  the  very 
first  clouds  that  ever  cast  a  shadow  on  those  towering  moun- 
tain tops.  I  can  see  thie  picture  of  these  mountains  now,  as 
I  look,  within  memory's  pages,  so  wonderfully  clear,  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  if  those  people  who  started  to  build  the 
Tower  of  Babel  had  only  traveled  a  little  they  would  have 
selected  Mount  Everest  as  a  preliminary  foundation. 

I  looked  farther  north  and  uaw  a  whole  range  of  jagged, 
lofty  peaks — scores  of  '.hem — fill  clad  in  white.  As  far  as  the 
sunrise  in  the  east,  and  beyond  Mount  Everest  in  the  west, 
and  as  far  as  we  <.ouId  see  either  north  or  south  from  our 
outlook  on  the  top  of  Tiger  hill,  there  was  below  us  one 
v?st  volume  of  rolling;,  billowy  clouds,  resembling  the  ever- 
restless  sea.  Only  twenty  piinutes  after  aunrise  did  this  most 
remarkable  view  keep  clear,  then  tens  of  thousands  of  square 
miles  of  heavy  clouds  received  some  lifting  force  and  rose  in 
silent  majesty,  until  the  mountains  and  ournelves  were 
wrapped  in  clouds  as:  dense  as  nature  ever  sifted  out  of  her 
labratory.  The  ground,  grass,  trees  and  bushes  all  around 
were  covered  with  hoar  fro.',*,  nipping  our  toes  and  fingers. 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  311 

until  we  were  glad  to  turn  away  and  seek  some  warmth  in 
returning  to  DarjeeJing. 

Mounting  the  daniy,  I  retamed  to  D-.irjeelin'?,  and  was  sur- 
piised  to  find  it  so  ntat  anl  romaniic  looking,  with  so  many 
gi)od  buildings  and  such  an  American  air  and  appearance. 
Very  steep  are  its  'jloping  hillsides  and  the  hillmen  who  drive 
in  their  ox-carts  from  the  country  are  the  most  Chinese  look- 
ing people  to  India.  Only  about  five  miles  to  the  north  does 
British  rule  extend,  therefore  Darjeeling  is  a  frontier  town, 
and  the  best  place  to  reach  Central  Asii.  and  one  of  the 
most  interesting  places  in  the  world  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
how  some  of  that  other  half  of  the  world  lives.  Nature  is 
piodigiously  bountiful  in  plant,  tree,  vine,  flower  and  in 
mountain  scenery  that  eclipses  the  world  in  grandeur,  magni- 
tude and  beauty. 

We  purcha'sed  somft  things  from  Thibet,  strolled  through 
the  bazaars,  and  taking  again  the  toy  train  rode  down  the 
mountain,  one  of  the  most  exhilaratiiig  railroad  rides  in  the 
world.  The  clouds  had  risen  to  higher  levels,  revealing  to  us, 
as  our  train  ran  down  its  narrow  track,  views  so  enchanting, 
stfch  sylvan  bowers  o^  trees  and  foliage,  many  tea  planta- 
tions on  the  steepest  hUlsides,  and  again  those  large,  leafless 
colon  trees,  with  their  red  blossoms,  looking  like  butterflies 
pinned  up  against  the  sky;  rippling  brooks,  ruiming  streams, 
then  suddenly  transformed  into  leaping  cascades.  There 
w«?re  canyons  dark  and  deep,  and  many  almost  tropical  plants, 
the  whole  with  other  features  I  have  no  time  to  speak  of, 
forming  a  picture  of  such  resplendent  beauty  that  in  order  to 
understand  you  must  come  to  India. 

We  arrived  in  Calcutta  aboirt  ten  o'clock  the  next  day, 
hiied  a  gharry,  did  some  trading  and  found  our  steamer.  We 
kept  our  gharry  to  finish  up  all  our  business  in  India,  and 
anived  at  the  river's  edge  in  time  for  examination,  and 
with  a  tremendous  lot  of  luggag«:.  The  doctor  looked  at 
Elmer  and  let  him  go,  but  as  he  seemed  suspicious  that  I 
might  have  the  plague,  felt  of  my  pulse.    All  the  Asiatic  pas- 


312  A    CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

sengf rs  were  stripped,  examined,  and  their  clothes  fumi  ■ 
gated. 

We  soon  learned  that  the  steamer  would  not  sail  until  early 
in  the  morning,  and  would  take  on  some  more  cargo  during 
the  night,  as  it  was  a  freight  steamer  with  only  room  enough 
for  ten  first-class  passengers.  Yet  sometimes  it  carried  a 
thousand  or  more  deck  passengers.  All  the  natives  pay  is 
their  passage  on  the  deck  (furnishing  their  own  food,  or 
go  without),  costing  only  thirty-five  rupees  (about  $ii)  to 
Hong  Kong,  while  our  fare  cost  us  275  rupees  each,  with  a 
promise  that  if  we  did  not  go  into  quarantine  at  Penang,  then 
the  company  would  return  to  us  twenty-five  rupees  each 
after  we  arrived  at  Hong  Kong. 

Nearly  all  night  the  derricks  were  hoisting  bales  or  cases 
of  opium  on  board  from  barges,  as  the  ship  was  anchored 
in  the  Hugli  river.  Twenty-two  hundred  cases  of  opium 
were  thus  taken  on  board,  all  of  it  in  the  night  time,  yet  I 
hardly  think  it  was  intentional  to  load  this,  "the  curse  of 
China,"  on  the  ship  under  cover  of  darkness.  Each  case 
of  this  opium  is  worth  in  American  gold  nearly  $500.  Over 
500,000  acres  of  the  richest  land  in  India,  mostly  in  Burmah, 
is  used  annually  in  growing  the  poppy.  The  Indian  gov- 
ernment is  behind  the  whole  arrangement,  dictating  as  to 
how  much  shall  be  grown,  and  at  present  the  exports  are 
only  allowed  to  reach  a  total  of  4000  cases  each  month. 
Forcing  this  opium  on  China,  as  England,  through  its  In- 
dian government,  has  done  for  over  fifty  years,  is  the  black- 
est and  greatest  crime  of  any  age  or  century.  England  gets 
between  2,000,000  and  3,000,000  English  pounds  sterling  in 
revenue  out  of  this  atrocious  traffic  each  year.  They  think 
they  need  it  to  run  the  Indian  government  with.  Unless 
England  tries  to  remedy  this  great  wrong  and  abolish  it,  her 
flag  will  trail  in  the  dust,  her  pride  will  totter  and  fall,  as 
I  believe  that  even  now  hosts  of  avenging  angels  are  gath- 
ering thicker  than  the  stars  to  cut  down  this  proud  nation, 
as  the  depth  and"  misery  of  this  great  wrong  is  greater  than 
anything  that  can  be  found  in  the  annals  of  human  slavery. 


NATIVES    STRIPPING    FOR     PLAGUE    INSPECTION 

CALCUTTA,    INDIA 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  813 

Early  in  the  morning  the  steamer  sailed  with  a  large  cargo 
of  rice,  jute  bags,  and  over  $1,000,000  worth  of  opium,  but 
about  ten  miles  down  the  river,  as  the  tide  commenced  to 
ebb,  it  stopped,  cast  its  anchors  and  awaited  the  return  flow 
of  the  tide. 

Fleets  of  native  boats  kept  passing  up  and  down  the  river, 
all  of  them  having  a  little  bamboo  house  on  them  for  the 
natives  to  crawl  in  as  they  wanted  shelter  and  food. 

Many  banana  trees  are  growing  on  the  land  near  the 
river — just  slender  stalks,  as  it  seems  to  be  their  nature  that 
each  stalk,  as  it  fruits,  never  lives  to  fruit  again. 

In  the  aftenK>on  we  again  sailed  a  few  miles  and  cast  an- 
chor as  the  darkness  came  on. 

The  Hugli  river  is.  a  treacherous  one,  and  if  ever  any  ship 
gets  aground,  the  quicksands  will  not  forego  their  grasp. 

The  mosquitoes  came  to  levy  toll  on  everyone  who  failed 
to  brush  them  away.  As  I  retired,  clouds  soft  as  the  wings 
of  any  dove,  and  without  any  gloom,  were  flying  gently  by, 
scattering  garlands  of  sweetness  from  the  sky,  just  like  the 
tendrils  of  some  growing  vine  reaching  out  for  some  place 
to  climb. 

Early  in  the  morning  I  heard  the  revolving  screw  once 
more! — the  ship  had  started  on  its  way.  I  paced  the  deck 
in  the  morning  light — the  last  day  I  had  to  look  at  India's 
land.  The  river  widened,  yet  the  pilot  kept  his  post  until 
we  were  several  miles  away  from  any  land.  Then  the  pilot 
withdrew,  and  the  captain  with  his  crew,  after  consulting 
their  chart  and  compass,  turned  the  prow  of  the  ship  just 
a  little  east  of  south.  Thus  we  commenced  another  ocean  trip 
of  over  3000  miles  in  order  to  get  to  Hong  Kong;  yet  the 
distance,  as  the  birds  fly,  is  only  1500  miles.  Again  we 
were  in  the  torrid  zone,  as  Calcutta,  Hong  Kong  and  Ha- 
vana are  all  on  the  same  line  of  latitude,  and  just  below  the 
Tropic  of  Cancer.  Not  far  northeast  is  the  mouth  of  the 
Ganges  river,  like  a  sea  in  width,  and  for  many  miles  inland 
there  are  very  wide  channels  of  water  connecting  it  with  the 
Hugli  river.     The  waters  of  the  Brahmaputra,  one  of  the 


314  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE  GLOBE. 

large  rivers  of  the  world,  rising  north  of  the  Himalaya  moun- 
tains, then  passing  through  a  portion  of  Thibet,  with  a  branch 
leading  to  Lhassie,  the  sacred  city  of  Thibet,  then  cutting  its 
way  through  this  great  range  of  mountains,  and  like  a  sea 
in  width  and  size  it  passes  through  Assam,  a  province  in 
India,  and  unites  with  the  Ganges  not  far  from  Calcutta, 
where  there  are  thousands  of  square  miles  of  low-lying,  delta- 
like land,  with  great  channels  of  water  leading  in  all  direc- 
tions, some  of  them  like  the  wide  expanses  of  a  sea.  The 
Hugli  is  the  smallest  of  them  all,  until  a  few  miles  below 
Calcutta,  where  it  connects  with  these  great  internal  nav- 
igable waterways  of  India. 

Bengal  (with  Calcutta  as  its  chief  city)  and  Burmah  are 
the  most  densely  populated  parts  of  Indi^,  with  a  population 
of  over  75,000,000  people. 

In  our  travels  in  India  we  had  seen  some  of  the  branches 
of  the  large  Indus  river,  and  on  top  of  Tiger  hill,  near  Dar- 
jeeling,  we  could  see  Nepal  on  the  west,  Bhutan  on  the  east, 
and  just  beyond  the  high  Himalayas  that  mysterious  king- 
dom of  Thibet.  , 

There  are  several  hill  tribes  all  along  the  northern  border 
of  India,  very  savage  (called  head  hunters),  making  it  ex- 
tremely unsafe  to  enter  even  these  independent  states,  as 
well  as  Thibet,  further  north.  North  of  the  central  part  of 
India  is  the  Chinese  Turkestan,  and  west  is  Afghanistan, 
where  the  king  has  just  dismissed  all  his  wives  but  four, 
and  has  proclaimed  throughout  the  entire  kingdom,  accom- 
panying his  proclamation  by  the  beating  of  drums,  that  none 
of  his  subjects  shall  have  more  than  four  wives,  and  must 
dismiss  the  surplus,  if  any. 

As  the  ship  sailed  Sunday  afternoon  over  the  waters  of 
the  Bay  of  Bengal,  I  sat  on  the  upper  deck,  underneath  some 
canvas  stretched  for  shade,  musing,  as  I  often  love  to  do — 
a  habit  that  sometimes  I  would  love  to  bre^k,  as  I  have 
been  guilty,  I  can  sorrowfully  remember,  of  being  in  church, 
and,  with  this  habit  of  musing,  let  my  wits  go  wool-gath- 
ering while  the  preacher  was  praying  and  then  come  too  with 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  315 

a  sudden  start,  and  sometimes  feel  a  palpitating  heart  because 
I  was  so  ashamed.  "Creatures  of  habit"  you  may  say.  Yes, 
that  is  true  of  almos-t  every  one  of  us  in  a  way,  and  some- 
times these  chains  get  so  strong  that  nobody  but  Jesus  can 
right  the  wrong.  While  I  was  musing  the  bell  rang  for 
tiffin,  and  when  the  seats  were  filled  there  were  just  twelve 
sitting  at  this  table  in  the  dining  saloon.  You  may  be  inter- 
ested to  know  who  they  were,  therefore  I  will  enumerate : 
Elmer  sat  at  one  end  and  the  first  mate  at  the  other.  A 
major-general  from  Siam  and  his  aide  by  his  side,  an  Aoi- 
tralian  just  beyond,  and  a  Baptist  missionary  minister  from 
Assam,  with  myself,  filled  one  side;  then  just  opposite  there 
were  the  chief  engineer,  one  of  the  owners  of  the  line,  a 
bank  clerk  from  Bombay,  the  captain  and  his  wife,  thus 
making  the  list  complete,  except  there  were  two  dogs  look- 
ing on  with  wistful  eyes  and  wagging  tails,  trying  with  all 
their  might  to  tell  of  their  wants  as  the  waiters  ran  to  fill 
the  orders  of  the  twelve. 

Tropical  heat  gathered  about  us  as  our  steamer  sailed 
across  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  The  only  way  w«  could  keep  cool 
was  to  dress  lightly  and  catch  a  little  breeze  in  some  shady 
spot  During  meal  hours,  in  the  dining  saloon,  by  the  use 
of  a  punkah  (a  long  strip  of  canvas  suspended  from  the 
ceiling  pulled  back  and  forth  by  a  coolie)  the  air  was  cool 
and  comfortable.  Not  much  wind,  and  the  surface  of  the 
sea  was  covered  with  little  dimpling,  rippling  waves,  and  over 
all — the  glare  and  heat  of  a  tropical  sun.  For  several  days 
we  saw  no  land,  until  we  passed  the  Andaman  islands,  which 
are  used  by  the  Indian  government  as  a  convict  colony.  On 
Friday,  January  23rd,  our  ship  sailed  into  the  harbor  of 
Penang,  yet  only  an  open  roadstead,  the  city  being  on  an 
island.  Having  a  whole  day  and,  taking  a  sampan,  we  went 
on  shore.  Immense  groves  of  tall  cocoanut  trees  were  every- 
where outside  of  the  city  streets,  and  large  clusters  of  ripen- 
ing cocoanuts  hanging  on  their  tops.  We  hired  some  jin- 
rikishas  and  rode  out  to  a  park  near  some  steep  hills,  where 
cascades   of  water  came  leaping   down   their   sloping   sides. 


316  A   CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

ferns,  orchids,  mahogany  trees  and  the  tropical  wealth  of 
verdure  and  bloom  covering  the  rich  soil.  I  saw  sensitive 
plants  as  large  as  ferns  that  would  fold  up  all  their  leaves 
as  soon  as  one  leaf  was  touched,  and  many  kinds  of  palm 
trees.  There  are  whole  streets  of  beautiful  residences,  with 
large  yards  full  of  trees  and  flowers,  and  many  of  them 
are  owned  and  occupied  by  Chinamen.  Hundreds  of  jin- 
rikishas  flew  along  drawn  by  coolies  clad  in  scanty  cotton 
blouses  and  the  shortest  pants.  Style,  wealth  and  display, 
some  of  it  on  oriental  lines,  and  some  European.  Penang 
is  only  300  miles  north  of  the  equator,  where  Jack  Frost 
never  reigns,  therefore  there  is  a  wealth  of  verdure  unseen 
in  more  northern  climes.  As  our  steamer  sailed  away  from 
Penang  the  open  roadway  was  dotted  with  sampans  and 
steamers,  the  royal  plump  tops  of  the  cocoanut  palms  were 
waving  in  the  tropical  breeze,  and  as  it  was  near  sunset,  the 
nearby  mountain  tops  on  the  island  of  Penang  were  casting 
ever-lengthening  purple  shadows  over  their  green  wooded 
slopes,  and  over  on  the  Malay  peninsula  some  far-away 
mountain  ranges  were  surmounted  by  large  thunderstorm 
types  of  clouds,  now  lying  in  brilliant  folds  against  the  sky, 
now  all  aglow  with  the  lightning's  lurid  glare,  now  dotted  in 
golden  light  and  over  all — .these  dreamy,  languid,  tropical 
skies,  where  each  beat  of  nature's  pulse  is  full  of  inspiration 
and  poetry.  We  were  sailing  through  the  Malacca  Straits, 
another  great  ocean  gateway  used  by  the  ships  of  all  na- 
tions. On  Friday,  January  23rd,  we  entered  the  port  of 
Singapore,  only  about  fifty  miles  north  of  the  equator.  Just 
a  narrow  entrance,  then  turning  to  the  east  we  are  at  the  ex- 
treme southern  part  of  Asia.  Only  by  courtesy  could  we  call 
the  time  of  year  midwinter,  as  I  never  saw  such  humid,  torrfd 
heat  before.  Every  afternoon  of  our  three  days'  stay  in 
Singapore  heavy  showers  gathered  and  fell.  It  rains  nearly 
every  day  in  the  year  in  Singapore.  The  city  has  a  popula- 
tion almost  equal  to  San  Francisco.  Every  nation  on  the 
globe  has  representatives  there.  Most  of  the  business  is  done 
by  Chinamen,  who  are  real  money-makers,  wherever  they  can 


OX-CART 

YOKOHAMA 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  317 

find  a  stable  government.  The  many  wharves,  covered  with 
large  warehouses,  present  an  animated  appearance,  with 
several  large  steamers  loading  and  unloading  products  to 
and  from,  every  country  in  the  world.  Europeans  and  Amer- 
icans who  reside  there  are  very  pallid  in  their  countenances, 
as  this  extreme  heat  is  enervating.  With  the  native  Ma- 
lays they  bask  in  the  sun.  Clothing  does  not  bother  them 
much;  any  place  at  night  is  warm  and  comfortable  enough 
to  sleep  in,  and  there  is  fruit  and  nuts  to  eat  just  for  the 
gathering,  a  veritable  lazy  child  of  the  tropics.  The  black 
pepper  of  commerce  is  grown  in  this  vicinity.  Truly  we  were 
glad  when  our  ship  sailed  out  of  these  straits  into  the  China 
sea  toward  Hong  Kong,  wh^re  we  found  a  brisk  northeast 
monsoon  wind  blowing  a  cooling  breeze  from  the  broad 
Pacific.  Up  the  length  of  the  China  sea  we  sailed  day 
after  day,  out  of  sight  of  any  land,  each  day  getting  shorter 
and  cooler,  until  on  the  morning  of  February  4th  we  en- 
tered Hong  Kong  harbor,  a  port  with  no  custom  house  or 
custom  dues  collected  in  any  manner.  The  only  revenue 
that  the  port  collects  is  that  each  ship  of  any  kind  pay  one 
cent  on  each  ton  of  its  tonnage  on  arrival.  We  saw  many 
steamers,  some  of  them  war  vessels,  as  we  entered  the 
harbor,  while  on  the  shores,  up  on  hills,  were  guns  and 
fortifications,  with  the  British  flag  flying  over  them.  En- 
gaging a  sampan,  we  went  ashore.  We  were  surprised  to 
see  such  a  bustling,  busy  city,  four-story  buildings,  dry  docks, 
machine  shops,  Chinese  merchants  counting  bushels  of  silver 
dollars  in  rooms  on  the  streets,  coolies,  rickashaws  and  Chi- 
nese people  everywhere. 

High  hills  or  mountains  overlook  the  city,  there  being  only 
room  for  two  or  three  streets  that  can  be  used  for  business. 
We  found  a  vessel,  the  Tam-Sui,  getting  ready  to  sail  to 
Shanghai,  and,  bookirtg  our  passage,  we  boarded  this  vessel 
the  same  afternoon  of  our  arrival — an  English  vessel  with  a 
Chinese  sailing  crew.  In  all  there  were  only  five  first-class 
passengers,  including  ourselves.  After  boarding  the  Tam- 
Sui  the  captain  concluded  not  to  sail  until  morning.    Nearly 


318  A   CALIFORNIAN    CIRCLING   THE   GLOBE. 

all  his  life  this  captain  had  sailed  up  and  down  the  Chinese 
coast.  We  missed  seeing  the  old  city  of  Canton,  which  is 
about  ninety  miles  inland  from  Hong  Kong,  and  probably 
the  largest  city  in  China.  The  next  commercial  port  north 
of  Hong  Kong  about  ninety  miles  is  Swatow,  where  the 
orange  growing  center  of  China  is  located,  about  on  the 
Tropic  of  Cancer.  The  Chinese  oranges  are  very  sweet, 
more  so  than  any  that  Florida  grows.  Our  ship  sailed  up 
the  coast  of  China  on  a  near-the-coast  route,  where  we  could 
see  mountain  ranges,  rocks  and  islands,  and  many  villages. 
One  day  while  in  the  captain's  office  he  said:  "Do  you  see 
this  narrow  channel  of  water  between  yonder  island  and  the 
main  land.  On  this  very  spot  twelve  years  ago  my  ship  was 
captured  by  pirates,  some  of  the  crew  killed  and  $40,000  in 
silver  taken."  Thus  the  days  passed,  as  the  captain  told  us 
of  his  many  adventures,  and  told  us  of  his  travels  in  China. 
As  we  passed  any  large  city,  or  the  mouth  of  some  river,  we 
saw  hundreds  of  fishing  junks,  all  looking  alike,  with  a  large 
square  sail  hoisted,  either  going  out  to  sea  or  returning,  all 
trying  to  catch  some  fish  to  sell  to  the  many  millions  of  Chi- 
nese people.  The  weather  was  raw  and  cold,  as  the  same 
latitude  of  California  on  the  Chinese  coast  is  much  colder 
in  winter  and  warmer  in  summer.  All  the  way  up  the  Chi- 
nese coast  the  dry,  hard,  northeast  winds  continued.  We  were 
sailing  along  the  coast  of  a  country  that  has  the  oldest  his- 
tory of  any  in  the  world,  and  the  largest  population — a  coun- 
try where  millions  of  people  have  nothing  to  eat  in  the 
morning,  until  they  can  earn  it,  and  millions  of  them  go  to 
bed  hungry.  The  inevitable  must  come,  as  either  China 
will  be  divided  among  the  "powers"  or  will,  like  Japan,  shake 
off  the  traditions  and  customs  of  the  past.  Almost  every 
day  we  saw  some  large  steamers  farther  out  on  the  Pacific 
passing  up  and  down  the  coast.  With  much  interest  we 
began  to  sail  up  a  river,  and  ninety  miles  inland  we  would 
come  to  Shanghai. 

We  saw  much  of  Chinese  life,  little  farms  and  little  fields, 
with  only  a  few  trees,  and  most  of  them  leafless ;  the  cheapest 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND   JAPAN.  319 

of  houses,  and  in  many  of  the  fields  we  could  see  coffins 
covered  with  straw,  as  it  is  a  custom  in  Cnfna  to  keep 
their  dead  in  a  yard,  or  out  in  a  field,  two  or  thiee  years  be- 
fore burial.  They  fill  the  coffins  partly  full  of  unslacked  lime, 
placing  a  pad  on  the  lime,  then  the  body  covered  with  a  red 
cloth,  another  pad,  and  all  the  chinks  are  filled  with  cotton. 
Red  with  the  Chinese  is  the  same  as  white  in  America. 

The  river  became  narrow,  and  is  not  safe  for  passage  ex- 
cept at  high  tide,  and  all  the  large  steamers  anchor  several 
miles  below  the  city.  Up  we  sailed  until  the  turn  of  the  tide 
compelled  the  captain  to  anchor.  Hiring  a  sampan,  we  went 
ashore  and,  taking  a  jinrickisha,  we  were  soon  on  the  Bund, 
the  principal  street,  facing  the  river,  in  Shanghai.  All  the 
rest  of  the  streets  seem  to  be  called  "roads,"  with  scMne  Chi- 
nese name  prefixed.  E^ch  foreign  government  has  its  own 
postoffice,  and  many  turbaned  Mohammedans  from  India  are 
employed  as  watchmen  at  the  gates  of  the  manufacturing 
plants. 

What  a  strange  medley  of  people  on  the  streets.  Now  a 
sedan  chair  with  curtains  drawn;  now  richly  dressed  China- 
men in  brocaded  silk,  fur  lined ;  and  Chinese  women  in 
handsome  head  dresses,  waists  and  trousers,  all  richly  em- 
broidered; licensed  wheelbarrows,  coolies — everybody  in  the 
narrow  streets  jostling  along,  the  old  and  the  new  all  curi- 
ously intermingled  together.  We  found  a  German  steamer 
sailing  that  evening  for  Japan,  booked  our  passage  and  only 
had  time  to  catch  our  luggage  oflF  from  our  incoming  sieamer 
and  place  it  on  the  outgoing  tender,  as  the  large  German 
steamer  was  anchored  several  miles  down  the  river.  For 
many  weeks  we  had  no  mail  from  home,  and  with  large 
bundles  of  it  obtained  in  Shanghai,  as  our  steamer  sailed 
away  for  Japan,  not  until  the  small  hours  of  the  night  did 
I  seek  repose. 

The  next  morning  I  could  see  no  land,  as  our  steamer's 
swiftly  revolving  screws  were  pushing  us  over  the  Pacific 
toward  Japan.  This  North  German  Lloyd  line  of  steamers 
is  very  fine.    The  cuisine  is  excellent  and  each  steamer  makes 


320  A  CALIFORNIAN   CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

three  trips  each  year  from  North  Germany  to  Yokohama  and 
return.  The  second  day  in  the  morning  we  were  near  the 
pine-clad  mountains  and  hills  of  Japan,  and  soon  entered 
the  harbor  of  Nagasaki.  Three  Russian  war  vessels  lay  near 
the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  and  the  German  band  on  our 
steamer  saluted  them  with  music,  soon  bringing  response 
from  the  Russian  bands.  An  American  transport  with  sol- 
diers on  board  was  in  the  harbor. 

All  steamers  coal  here,  making  the  port  a  lively  one.  A 
driving  rainstorm  set  in,  yet  the  city  looked  so  picturesque, 
with  life  and  activity  in  abundance  on  both  water  and  land, 
that  we  went  ashore  after  our  quarantine  inspection  by  the 
Japanese  officials.  Quaint  Japan !  So  full  of  surprises  at 
every  turn ;  its  people  so  courteous  and  respectful ;  many  of 
them  well  dressed,  enterprising,  affable;  the  best  country 
in  all  the  world  for  an  American  to  take  a  holiday  in. 

Nagasaki  is  the  most  picturesque  harbor  I  have  seen  in  any 
counitry,  excepting  Sitka,  with  its  ninety-six  islands,  in 
Alaska.  The  little  Japanese  homes  and  stores  are  neat  in 
appearance,  the  villas  of  the  wealthy  on  the  mountain  sides, 
the  varieties  of  tree  ferns  and  hardy  plants  covering  hill, 
slope  and  mountain,  beihg  unsurpassed  in  any  country.  At 
dusk  our  steamer  sailed  away,  and  as  I  looked  back  I  saw 
the  great  searchlights  of  the  men-of-war  lighting  up  the  green, 
terraced,  wooded  mountain  slopes;  the  sea  of  shipping  looked 
like  trees  with  golden  lights  on  mast  and  spar.  The  harbor 
lights  were  dazzling  in  the  air,  the  stores  were  twinkling 
with  lights,  and  on  each  rippling  wave  in  our  steamer's  wake 
were  the  reflections  of  many  of  these  lights,  dancing  like  dia- 
monds in  sparkling  array,  rivaling  the  stars  as  they  twinkle 
in  space. 

The  next  morning  we  were  sailing  on  the  noted  inland 
sea  of  Japan,  in  some  places  narrow  like  a  river,  then  again 
a  broad  expanse  of  sea.  There  are  many  villages  on  the 
shores,  mountain  sides  terraced  to  the  top,  the  ever  present 
evergreen  trees,    islands    and   hills   glistening   with    fortifica- 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  321 

tions  and  guns,  and  in  the  distance  mountains  capped  with 
snow.  A  clear,  bright,  beautiful  day,  with  an  Arctic  touch 
of  winter  in  the  air,  and  all  day  long  charming  bays  dotted 
with  sailboats,  quiet,  peaceful  shores,  terraced  hills  and  tem- 
ples near,  and  sylvan  wooded  nooks  were  passing  and  glid- 
ing by,  with  unending  charm  and  beauty. 

Each  village  has  a  sea  wall,  a  fleet  of  boats,  and  either 
or  both  castle  or  temple  peeping  out  from  some  wooded 
slope,  or  rising  above  the  village  roofs.  The  next  morning 
we  came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Kobe,  at  the  eastern 
entrance  of  the  inland  sea,  a  city  of  much  export  trade,  as 
it  is  the  seaport  of  the  large  cities  of  Osaka  and  Kioto,  and 
one  of  the  great  centers  of  the  tea  trade  of  Japan.  Having 
all  day,  we  went  ashore  and  boarded  a  railway  train  for 
Osaka,  about  twenty  miles  distant.  Nearly  all  the  people 
wear  wooden  shoes,  and  the  clattering  feet  on  the  stone 
pavements  of  the  railway  stations  is  almost  deafening.  Like 
all  oriental  countries,  the  travel  on  the  trains  is  heavy,  and 
most  of  the  cars  had  one  long  seat  on  each  side,  facing  the 
center,  like  a  street  car.  Many  of  the  Japanese  men  sat  with 
their  feet  curled  up  under  them  on  the  seat,  and  no  partic- 
ular car  seemed  to  be  reserved  for  ladies. 

We  saw  orange  trees,  hardy  looking  ones,  gardens  full  of 
the  largest  radishes  I  ever  saw,  stone  retaining  walls  to  hold 
sloping  hill  sides,  oxen  hitched  to  carts,  tea  plantations  and 
plum  trees  just  beginning  to  blossom,  a  tree  that  poets  love 
to  sit  under  in  Japan.  There  seemed  to  be  no  rules  against 
smoking,  as  men  and  women  would  take  from  their  clothes 
or  from  a  small  satchel  something  resembling  a  pipe,  put  in 
the  smallest  amount  of  tobacco,  light  a  match,  and  one  long 
whiff,  with  an  abundance  of  smoke,  was  all  they  took,  knock- 
ing the  ashes  out  of  their  pipes  on  the  toe  of  their  wooden 
shoe,  put  up  the  pipe,  then  in  a  few  minutes  repeat  the  same 
process. 

At  each  station  many  passengers  came  on  or  alighted, 
in  truly  Japanese  costumes.  We  found  Osaka  a  large  manu- 
facturing   center.      Hiring   jinrickishas,    we    rode     for    miles 


322  A  CALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

in  this  city,  amused  and  interested  at  every  step.  I  entered 
one  of  the  largest  stores.  No  one  is  allowed  to  enter  until 
his  shoes  are  removed,  and  attendants  i.i  a  little  entrance 
at  the  front  are  ready  with  their  slippers.  Unfortunately 
the  attendant  could  find  no  slippers  large  enough  for  me, 
therefore  I  walked  in  and  about  without  them.  There  were 
scores  of  clerks,  men  and  women,  and  it  was  so  cold  that 
all  the  clerks  not  busy  were  hovering  over  pots  of  burning 
charcoal. 

I  did  some  trading,  finding  only  one  clerk  that  could  talk 
English.  Either  being  slipperless  or  owing  to  my  droll  ways, 
as  I  was  trading  the  clerks  laughed  a  good  deal,  and  at  the 
front  of  the  store  out  in  the  street  was  a  row  of  men  and 
boys,  with  their  faces  close  to  the  glass  windows,  looking  in, 
with  as  much  earnestness  as  a  small  boy  will  look  at  a  circus 
parade.  This  store  had  a  magnificent  assortment  of  woolen 
and  silk  goods,  all  of  Japanese  make  and  wonderfully  at- 
tractive. I  shivered  with  the  cold,  and,  like  a  stork,  I  had 
to  balance  myself  on  one  foot  to  keep  the  other  one  warm, 
as  I  would  warm  my  hands  over  the  charcoal  fire.  Japan- 
ese never  seem  to  think  of  warming  anything  but  their  hands. 

As  we  rode  back  to  Kobe  on  the  railway,  from  the  large 
city  of  Osaka,  we  saw  hundreds  of  sailboats  on  the  ocean, 
as  much  of  Japan's  internal  commerce  is  done  by  sail  in- 
stead of  steam.  The  little  homes  are  much  better  looking 
than  the  tumble-down  ones  among  the  poor  of  our  Americ?n 
cities.  Our  steamer  sailed  that  evening,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing at  sunrise  we  were  entering  the  harbor  at  Yokohama, 
while  snow-capped  Fujiyama,  with  its  top  shorn  oflf  square, 
a  matchless  mountain  of  unrivaled  beauty,  shone  forih  as  the 
rising  sun  revealed  to  us  its  mantle  of  white  shaded  to  a 
tinge  of  gold.  The  air  was  frosty  and  cold,  as  we  stepped 
on  a  wharf,  and  taking  our  luggage  to  the  custom  house,  we 
placed  it  in  bond.  Otherwise,  except  personal  articles,  much 
of  it  would  have  been  dutiable, 
line  of  steamers,  we  booked  for  Vancouver  on  the  Empress 

Wending  our  way  to  the  office  of  the  Canadian  Pacific's 


TAKING    A    JINRICKISHA     KlDIi 

PANANG 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  323 

of  India.  Four  days  intervened  in  which  we  could  see  a 
little  more  of  picturesque  Japan.  Our  box  and  bundle  of 
goods,  shipped  on  a  Japanese  freight  steamer  from  Port 
Said,  had  just  arrived,  being  two  months  in  transit.  We 
wandered  many  times  over  many  streets,  always  interested, 
looking  at  these  toy  people  and  their  toy  houses  and  stores. 
You  all  see  in  America  pretty  Japanese  ladies  pictured  on 
fans,  yet  the  living  Japanese  women  are  graceful,  handsome, 
and  as  they  amble  along  on  their  wooden  shoes  or  straw 
sandals,  are  usually  bare-headed.  There  is  a  poetry  of  mo- 
tion, an  aesthetic  charm  in  their  appearance,  that  can  never 
be  produced  in  any  picture.  The  poorest  woman  dressed  in 
a  simple  cotton  gown,  if  only  a  kimona,  is  as  graceful  and 
picturesque  as  the  rich,  dressed  in  silks. 

One  day  we  boarded  a  railway  train  for  Tokio,  the  larg- 
est city  in  Asia,  eighteen  miles  distant  Many  cars  were  filled 
with  people.  We  passed  rice  fields  ready  for  inundation, 
many  plum  trees  in  blossom,  and  striking  advertising  signs 
in  the  fields,  neater  than  any  I  ever  saw  in  America. 

Our  first  ride  was  to  Shiba — in  a  jinrickisha — a  suburb  of 
Tokio,  where  we  saw  some  celebrated  Shogun  temples.  Sur- 
rounded by  old  pine  trees — crooked,  gnarled  and  looking  to 
be  centuries  old,  with  many  ravens  cawing  in  them — are  the 
temples.  Like  all  religious  temples  in  all  heathen  lands,  we 
were  not  allowed  to  enter  without  replacing  our  shoes  with 
slippers,  and  the  funny  part  of  it  was  that  the  attendant 
could  only  find  one  slipper  large  enough  for  me.  Therefore 
on  the  other  foot  he  buckled  two  slippers,  facing  both  fore 
and  aft,  presenting  a  droll,  grotesque  appearance.  Not  much 
to  see  in  the  succession  of  small  temples,  except  lacquer  work 
in  red  and  gold,  and  panels  of  carved  wood  in  color  and  gild- 
ing. Out  and  up  moss-covered  steps  and  through  dragon- 
guarded  gateways  we  came  to  a  hexagonal  temple,  where  a 
Shogun  is  buried  in  a  gold  laquer  cylinder,  one  of  the  best 
works  of  art  in  Japan.  Passing  from  these  mortuary  tem- 
ples, through  groves  of  giant  trees,  we  came  to  where  heathen 


324  A  CALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

worship  was  in  progress,  in  all  the  superstition  and  pomp  of 
Buddhism. 

In  the  passage  ways  between  the  temples  are  hundreds  of 
old  moss-colored,  queer  looking  tombs,  all  alike,  and  the  top 
of  each  one  is  fitted  to  use  as  a  stone  lamp.  From  the  tem- 
ples we  passed  by  the  Emperor's  palace  and  grounds,  sur- 
rounded by  a  high  moss-covered  wall  and  a  moat;  on  and 
through  the  city  to  the  museum,  where  we  wandered  for 
hours,  in  (aside  from  Biblical  interest)  one  of  the  most 
interesting  museums  in  the  world.  Time  and  space  will 
not  permit  any  effort  to  delineate,  yet  I  must  mention  that 
we  saw  some  of  the  famous  Tosa  chickens  where  ordinary 
sized  roosters  have  tails  twelve  feet  long,  and  where  they 
raise  them  at  Kioto  they  keep  them  in  tall  bamboo  cages, 
not  letting  them  out,  except  they  wrap  their  tails  up  in  paper. 

We  saw  all  kinds  of  helmets  and  armor,  carriages  that  the 
rulers  of  Japan  used  to  ride  in,  drawn  by  hand.  Better  than 
any  book  of  history  was  the  record  here  shown  by  change 
from  old  to  new.  Many  works  of  art,  almost  priceless  in 
value.  We  wandered  on  the  streets  of  Tokio,  purchasing 
curious  things  until  there  was  a  gaping  hole  in  our  pocket 
books,  as  everything  is  so  clever  and  cheap  in  Japan  that  one 
cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  purchase.  Unlike  the  Indian 
and  Mohammedan  traders,  most  of  the  Japanese  do  not  ask 
more  than  their  taking  price,  refusing  to  barter  if  you  offer  to. 

Tokio  has  large,  modern  war  and  naval  buildings,  and 
all  of  its  public  buildings  are  a  credit  to  any  country. 

Towards  evening  we  rode  back  to  Yokohama,  looking  at 
the  people,  their  little  houses — most  of  them  have  no  glass 
windows  and  no  doors  as  in  America,  just  sliding  ones. 
We  wanted  to  stay  many  days  more  in  Japan  among  its 
chattering,  playful,  child-like  people,  and  reluctantly  boarded 
the  Empress  of  India  to  sail  for  America. 

The  passenger  list  was  light,  with  several  returning  mis- 
sionaries and  among  them  an  Episcopal  clergyman  with  a 
Chinese  wife  and  several  Eurasian  children.  He  belonged 
to  the  "four  hundred"  of  New  York,  and  frequently  smoked 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  325 

a  pipe  nearly  two  feet  long.  For  eleven  days  we  rolled  along 
over  the  Pacific,  passing  to  the  north,  about  200  miles  south 
of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  without  sighting  any  ship,  sailing 
4200  miles,  a  long,  lonely  voyage.  It  was  a  beautiful  after- 
noon when  we  sailed  out  of  the  harbor  of  Yokohama,  by 
large  forts  at  the  entrance,  with  many  cannon  bristling  In 
the  sunlight,  and  I  sat  on  deck  watching  the  ever-receding 
shores,  the  sacred  snow-capped  mountain  of  Fujiyama,  and 
occasionally  looking  askance  at  my  fellow  passengers,  won- 
dering who  among  them  I  would  visit  with  most,  as  always 
on  shipboard  there  are  some  that  attract  and  others  that 
repel.  Not  any  land  would  we  see  until  we  approached  Van- 
couver Island,  in  British  Columbia.  The  distant  shores  grew 
dim,  the  northeast  wind  our  ship  was  sailing  against  began 
to  whistle  across  the  deck,  the  sailors  battened  down  the 
hatches,  and  each  loose  line  or  rope  was  carefully  coiled 
away;  thus  the  fifty-fifth  trip  of  this  ship  across  the  Pacific 
began.  A  floating  home,  as  day  and  night  the  twin  screws 
propelled  this  sturdy  ship.  The  edges  of  distance  between 
the  passengers  melted  away,  each  kind  finding  their  counter- 
part. As  their  thoughts  were  interchanged,  therefore,  each 
one  knew  whom  to  see  when  any  hour  became  long  and 
drear.  There  is  a  flow  of  soul  when  kindred  spirits  meet,  a 
lifting  up  in  one's  place,  making  each  one  stronger  for  the 
race. 

Thus  the  days  passed  away,  now  a  storm  of  wind  and 
rain,  then  a  blow  that  made  huge  billows  roll,  for  many 
miles  a  weary  waste  of  water  wild.  One  day,  on  Ash 
Wednesday,  we  crossed  the  i8cth  line  of  longitude,  and  the 
captain  said  we  must  have  two  Ash  Wednesdays,  a  curious 
decree,for  it  made  this  year  one  day  longer  to  me,  and  none 
of  you  can  claim  the  same.  Eight  days  in  one  week  and  no 
mistake,  as  the  sun  did  rise  and  set  each  day  of  the  eight. 
Were  I  rich  and  philanthropic,  I  would  hire  many  ships  and 
gather  up  all  the  seventh  day  people  in  the  world  and  give 
them  a  free  ride -around  the  globe,  just  to  see  what  they 


326  A  CALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

would  do  with  their  creed  when  they  found  eight  real  days 
in  one  week. 

In  crossing  the  Pacific  ocean  so  far  to  the  north  we  found 
each  day  very  chilly  and  cold,  requiring  a  very  brisk  pace  to 
keep  warm,  even  if  wrapped  in  winter  garb,  as  we  walked 
the  deck  for  exercise.  It  was  the  latter  part  of  February 
and  the  change  was  so  great  from  the  equatorial  warmth  at 
Singapore  that  it  seemed  to  be  another  world  where  tropical 
heat  was  unknown. 

Such  times,  when  one  is  shut  off  from  the  busy  world  and 
all  its  doings  and  daily  news,  is  a  grand  time  for  retrospec- 
tion. Each  visit  or  talk  with  any  other  passenger  was  usually 
of  the  past;  a  summing  up  of  results,  a  period  in  one's  his- 
tory, a  pause  to  profit  by,  a  rest  from  monotonous  care,  a 
jubilee,  so  to  speak,  where  thought  and  reason  had  its  sway, 
instead  of  irksome  toil  and  care  each  passing  day. 

Each  Sunday  the  captain  had  services  according  to  the 
Church  of  England's  form  in  the  dining  saloon,  and  one 
peculiarity  of  this  service,  like  all  the  others  of  this  churdi 
the  world  over,  is  the  rapid  way  of  reading  or  repeating 
the  established  form  of  ritual. 

With  much  interest,  one  clear,  cool  morning  in  March, 
we  saw  in  the  distance  some  pine-clad  mountains,  evergreen 
in  appearance,  with  all  the  taller  peaks  robed  in  snow — ^the 
outlines  of  Vancouver  Island. 

Reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  our 
steamer  glided  up  the  channel,  about  as  wide  as  a  large  river, 
against  a  heavy  wind.  The  Olympia  mountains  and  Mount 
Baker,  with  not  a  cloud  to  hide  their  tops,  were  in  sight.  As 
we  neared  Victoria,  the  doctors  of  the  quarantine  station 
and  a  pilot  boarded  the  steamer.  All  the  crew  and  passen- 
gers were  examined  before  reaching  Victoria.  At  this  port 
many  Chinamen  from  the  steerage  landed,  and  as  we  saw 
American-looking  horses  and  wagons  for  the  first  time  in 
months,  we  did  as  you  would  have  done — kept  looking  at 
them.  The  ship  sailed  that  evening  for  Vancouver.  The 
next  morning  our  trunks,  Japanese  koras  and  satchels,  were 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  327 

bonded  through  by  the  British  custom  officials  to  Sumas,  our 
port  of  entry,  fifty-two  miles  south  of  Vancouver.  Coming 
on  the  Vancouver  line  of  steamers  entitled  us  to  either 
steamer  or  rail  service  to  San  Francisco,  without  any  charge 
from  Vancouver.  We  asked  for  rail  service,  asking  that 
our  luggage  might  be  checked  to  Sacramento,  and  the  funny 
part  of  it  was,  the  man  who  did  the  checking  did  not  know 
where  Sacramento  was  situated.  As  we  rode  away  from 
Vancouver,  the  city  seemed  to  have  an  air  of  prosperity. 
For  over  thirty  miles  our  train  ran  over  the  main  line  of 
the  Canadian  Pacific  railroad,  then  south  on  the  Interna- 
tional to  Sumas,  where  Uncle  Sam's  officials  were  ready 
to  receive  us.  Everybody  on  the  train  after  an  hour's  de- 
tention and  inspection  was  passed  along  with  their  baggage, 
except  ourselves.  We  presented  a  list  of  goods  we  thought 
dutiable,  and  the  custom  house  official  adjusted  his  glasses 
and  said:  "There  is  such  a  quantity  of  baggage  belonging 
to  you  that  I  must  keep  it  ot  look  over,  as  I  cannot  detain 
the  ^train  long  enough."  We  stayed  with  the  baggage.  In 
the  afternoon  he  looked  over  our  list,  looked  in  the  trunks 
and  koras,  and  concluded  that  the  damage  to  the  rest  of 
Uncle  Sam's  subjects  would  amount  to  about  loo  gold  dol- 
lars, which  we  cheerfully  paid.  I  was  amused  to  hear  Elmer 
say,  as  we  sat  at  the  dining  table  in  the  hotel,  where  there 
was  plenty  of  crisp  biscuit,  fresh  milk  and  apple  pies,  "This 
seems  like  home."  Next  morning  I  arose  early,  and  in  the 
gathering  light  I  walked  out  and  upon  a  hill  on  the  western 
edge  of  the  village  and  found  an  iron  post  with  its  base 
planted  in  the  ground.  On  one  side  of  it  read  "Treaty  of 
Washington;"  on  another  side  it  read  "June  15,  1846."  As 
the  sun  was  rising  I  stood  just  west  of  this  post,  astride  of 
the  49th  parallel  of  latitude,  with  one  foot  in  British  Colum- 
bia and  the  other  foot  in  the  United  States,  and  if  the  world 
was  not  round  and  if  my  sight  were  keen  enough,  I  could 
have  looked  along  this  parallel  of  latitude  and  boundary  line 
to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  in  Minnesota.  I  did  see  many  miles 
across  a  valley  over  hills  and  mountain  tops,  as  wherever  the 


328  A  CALIFORNIAN  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE. 

timber  stood  there  was  a  cleared  space  of  about  forty  feet 
wide.  After  sunrise,  and  getting  tired  of  balancing  the  two 
countries,  as  Jack  Frost  was  trying  to  nip  both  toes  and 
fingers,  and  in  order  to  get  warm,  I  briskly  ran  from  one 
country  to  the  other,  and  vice  versa,  with  as  much  enthusi- 
asm as  any  boy  ever  had.  Towards  noon  as  the  train  for 
Seattle  came  in  from  Vancouver,  we  were  very  careful  not  to 
carry  any  of  our  luggage,  as  we  boarded  the  train  across 
the  line,  and  were  soon  whisking  along  by  lumber  and  shingle 
mills,  through  some  of  the  finest  forests  in  the  world,  pas- 
tures and  meadows  full  of  stubs  and  stumps,  salmon  berries 
peeping  at  us,  and  rural  life  everywhere.  I  will  forego  any 
detailed  description  of  our  journey  by  rail  down  these  Pa- 
cific coast  states,  only  to  jot  down  a  few  surprises.  Every 
village  and  city  we  came  to  I  asked  myself,  "where  are  the 
people?"  For  months,  having  been  accustomed  to  the  dense 
population  of  Oriental  countries,  I  was  surprised  at  the  con- 
trast. I  also  noticed  that  all  the  ladies'  hats  had  grown 
remarkably  large  in  my  nearly  eight  months  of  absence.  I 
again  noticed  that  almost  every  lady  was  either  buying,  or 
wanting  to  purchase,  strings  of  beads  of  various  values,  to 
wear  around  their  necks,  a  proceeding  not  much  behind 
their  heathen  sisters  in  India  or  Egypt,  as  our  train  ambled 
into  Portland  I  heard  a  man  from  Kansas,  his  pants  tucked 
in  his  boot-tops,  and  carrying  a  Rip  Van  Winkle  cast  of 
countenance,  say,  "Ef  there  ever  was  a  paradise  on  this  sin- 
cursed  earth,  this  is  one,"  referring  to  the  Willamette  Valley. 
I  quietly  wondered  if  he  had  ever  heard  of  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. 

After  passing  over  snow-clad  mountains,  our  train  ran 
the  entire  length  of  the  great  Sacramento  valley,  through 
leafless  almond  orchards,  full  of  white  bloom,  like  snow- 
flakes  in  the  air,  and  by  the  side  of  immense  growing  grain 
fields,  we  came  to  Davisville,  thirteen  miles  from  Sacra- 
mento, and  at  this  little  hamlet  our  complete  circuit  of  the 
world  was  a  finished  trip,  touching  the  same  place  we  trav- 
eled through  on  the  second  day  of  our  journey.     We  had 


INDIA,  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  329 

traveled  38,600  miles,  21,000  on  land  and  17,600  on  eleven 
different  steamers,  sailing  under  four  different  flags.  Our 
entire  time  on  shipboard  was  eighty  days,  and  neither  of 
us  were  seasick.  Our  baggage  had  been  examined  in  eighteen 
different  custom  houses.  We  had  stayed  in  forty  different 
hotels,  at  variance  in  many  wonderful  ways.  We  had  changed 
money  into  the  money  of  fourteen  different  countries.  Wc 
had  seen  and  entered  four  of  the  five  largest  churches  in  the 
world  and  the  oldest  Christian  church.  We  had  seen  their 
ruins  and  been  on  the  sites  of  six  of  the  seven  ancient  won- 
ders of  the  world.  We  saw  the  last  cornerstone  laid  of  the 
largest  dam  in  the  world  at  Assouan.  We  saw  the  tallest 
mountain  in  the  world — Mount  Everest  in  the  Himalayas. 
We  saw  and  traveled  through  the  largest  city  of  Europe, 
Asia,  Africa  and  America.  We  saw  the  largest  city  in  the 
world  below  sea  level.  Our  feet  trod  upon  the  lowest  place 
in  the  world  below  the  level  of  the  sea.  We  were  in  the 
oldest  city  and  sailed  in  and  out  of  the  oldest  seaport.  We 
were  in  quarantine  under  guard  three  times,  and  had  rocks 
hurled  after  us  by  cursing  Arabs.  We  saw  the  grandest  ele- 
phant parade,  where  220  elephants  were  parading  along  with 
a  goodly  portion  of  England's  and  all  of  India's  royalty  and 
their  equippage  of  diamonds,  jewels  and  costly  trappings — 
worth  many  millions  of  dollars — the  greatest  parade  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  We  could  enumerate  temples,  tombs 
and  mighty  ruins  of  once  mighty  cities  that  we  visited.  The 
trip  was  a  success  in  every  way  and  I  have  something  to 
think  of,  and  whenever  I  read  of  the  countries  we  visited 
there  comes  a  remembrance  to  me  of  what  we  saw  and  heard 
in  those  countries.  I  saw  no  other  country  anywhere  su- 
perior to  our  Sunny  Southern  California  home. 

Home !  How  much  that  implies ;  no  other  haven,  except 
heaven  above,  in  all  the  universe,  can  compare  with  home, 
and  it  is  what  we  make  it 


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l^C  SOUTHEBN  REGIONAL  LBRAflY  FAOUTY 


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